Light from Darkness - The FFVII Chronicles
by Lucrecia X
Summary: A novelization of Final Fantasy VII. Has been in the works for the past three years, and still is under constant development.. please bear with me. 18 chapters completed as of present.. to be posted, as per pending revision.
1. Prologue - Dream.. or Reality?

"...Gaze into my Mako eyes and tell me what you see, for what you   
thought just once was there is now a Final Fantasy."   
  
  
Light from Darkness  
The Final Fantasy VII Chronicles  
  
Prologue- "Dream.. or Reality?"  


  
  
  
Just blackness.. only blackness is visible, swirling everywhere, the sound of dead silence seeming louder than a thousand screams.. A random collection of stars begin to blink into existence.. After a few  
moments, they take a familiar shape.. Eyes.. Green, shimmering eyes.. A young woman with long, chestnut-brown hair gazes at you, the mysterious eyes blinking occasionally.. as a soft smile forms on her face..   
  
She blinked and stood up, gazing around at her surroundings..an alley in the middle of one of Midgar's various slum districts.  
She turned, heading out of the alley. The crowds of the busy, urban streets moved around her uncaringly, like usual. She walked off into the street, holding a small basket with light blue and red   
flowers, her appearance quickly blocked off by the wandering bodies of countless other citizens, and the passing blur of various motor vehicles.  
  


*********   


  
  
As seen from above, the city of Midgar was truly stunning in appearance alone, seemingly made of nothing but machines..   
Eight reactors stood out at various points at the outer rims of the circular city, clouds of green smoke seeping from the open tops.Suddenly, the loud whirr of an engine rang out loudly, interrupting   
the machinations of one of the several reactors.. The noise became only louder.. and closer.  
  
*********   


  


Outside the towering reactor marked with a grey "1", a long mechanical train came to a stop. Two soldiers quickly stood and ran to intercept the new arrivals. They were quickly silenced by two figures  
who leapt out from the train's roof in a blur, knocking out the soldiers before they managed a blink.   
As the attackers ran off, a large, muscle-bound, dark skinned man exited the train. He wore dark green pants, brown boots, and an open leather jacket, with a silver chain containing a pair of dog tags  
around his neck, and white tape bounding his flat stomach. His hair was shaved at the sides, and flat along the top of his head. At a glance, he would easily pass for your average Midgar street-dweller..  
except for the lack of a right hand, replaced by a multi-barreled machine gun. He waved once at the train, yelling "C'mon!" before following the two figures into the complex.   
  
Suddenly, a young man somersaulted from the roof of the train, landing perfectly on his feet. Clad in a dark blue uniform, which slightly resembled that of one of the downed soldiers. The man also   
wore a dark grey armored covering over his left shoulder. A giant grey blade was sheathed along his back, it's mere size alone a fearsome sight. The blade narrowed at the point, forming the tip of the sword.  
The right side of the blade had two foreign symbols carved into it.. translated at a later date as "Buster Sword".  
  
He bent down to examine one of the bodies, removing a vial of blue potion from one of their pockets. His pale blue eyes had a faint glow to them, his spikey yellow hair styled into an odd mohawk along   
the center line of his scalp.  
  
Before he could run off to join the others, two more soldiers ran out at him. One fired off quick shots at him from an assault rifle, as the other nervously began to pull out the pin of a grenade. But it  
was too late.. The man has already dodged the bullets with lightning-fast reflexes, moving low to cut down the two grunts with one quick slash of his blade.  
  
He sighed deeply. "They're not paying me enough for this." With that, he chased the others, vanishing into the complex as well.   



	2. One - The Protectors of the Planet

**Light from Darkness   
The Final Fantasy VII Chronicles   
  
Chapter 1- "The Protectors of the Planet"   
  
**

As the blue-uniformed man stepped out from the doorway, to an accompanying long dark green sidewalk, he next moved to a sealed metal doorway, where the other three people had gathered, along with a fourth.. A pudgy man attired in a yellow shirt with a brown strap running along the front, diagonally.. He additionally wore brown pants, and red shoes.   
The man with the giant sword approached the group, while the pudgy man glanced about nervously. Having noted no response from him, the yellow-haired one moved over to another man, who had been wearing a dark green, sleeveless shirt, revealing of rather muscular arms.. He also was possessing of black pants, with a red bandana around the forehead. Unlike the pudgy man, he had appeared willing to take on any attackers. Upon seeing the yellow-haired man's approach, he had turned partially in his stance, fixating an even stare at his direction. "Wow! You used to be in SOLDIER all right.. Not everyday ya find one in a group like AVALANCHE, eh?"   
A young woman, who seemed rather busy trying to open the sealed door, glanced up from her assigned task, and over at the two men. The saboteur had short, dark orangish hair, simplistically attired in a dark blue shirt with an armored breast plate over it, green pants, brown boots, and red gloves with the fingers cut out. At a glance, the ex-SOLDIER could discern her appearance to be of the token smart one within the group.. but one who was clearly well prepared for any battles that awaited. "SOLDIER? Aren't they the enemy? What's he doing with us in AVALANCHE, Biggs?"   
The muscled man, Biggs, had turned in her direction, with a touch of annoyance. "Hold it, Jessie. He WAS in SOLDIER. He quit them, and he's now one of us." He again half-spun back to the yellow-haired man, curiously.. "..Didn't catch your name."   
"..Cloud." "Cloud, eh? I'm.." Cloud abruptly took on an annoyed visage, as he returned the introduction with a cold stare. "I don't care what your names are. Once this job's over.. I'm outta here." Just as abruptly, the dark-skinned man with the gun-arm dashed up to the group from a (previous) distance, anger vivid in his expression and accompanied tone of voice.   
"The hell you all 'doin?! I thought I told you to never move in a group! Our target's the Mako Reactor to the north! We'll meet on the bridge in front of it." Suddenly, the door emitted a loud 'snap', as it slid open with an electronic whirr, as if on cue. Jessie, Biggs, and the pudgy man wasted no time in moving through it. However, the large man meanwhile stepped over to Cloud, subsequently..and rather easily.. obstructing his path. "Ex-SOLDIER, huh? I don't trust ya! But we need all the help we can get, so you'll do. C'mon!"   
  
With that note, he had also ran off. Cloud eventually followed, though he paused, in the action of casting a cerulean-hued stare to the..unusual sight above. A green tower with a foreignly-crafted symbol was visible to the observer, arisen into the dark, polluted sky. A brief shake of his head slightly taken, before he pursued the others. Cloud eventually saw Biggs paused before him, glancing to the left, then the right, at a break-off point in the sidewalk. He hesitated briefly, before he had moved off to the right.   
Cloud quirked a brow in a curious display, before he opposingly ran to the left.. bearing witness to the sight of two uniformed guards throwing a switch, which incited the bright yellow flashing of an above monitor, and several unseen others, of a rather simple message: "Intruder. Intruder. Warning." Cloud wasted no time his response, that of charging the two distracted guards from behind. An instant later, both had been struck down by the mercenary's massive weapon before they even realized they had been torn in half.  
"Just great. Now they know we're here.. Only a matter of time before the Robo-Guards show up..", he thought to himself. Of course, there was no time to dwell on that, so he spun about, hurriedly following Biggs down the other path... Straight into the dual obstacles of a blue-uniformed rifle guard, and his accompanying 'partner'.. a growling, knelt panther, who seemed ready to pounce upon a moment's notice.  
"Stop right there! Or I'll shoo-".. The guard, in mid-sentence, felt his expression turn pale under his helmet with the observance of Cloud's withdrawal of the large sword. "..Never mind.. Carry on.." The soldier's firearm was dropped to the ground, forgotten by the hastily retreating man.. he wasn't paid half the rate taking on that kind of intruder demanded.  
The panther, knowing not the concept of a paycheck, uncaringly charged at Cloud, and leapt onto him, mouth parted to allow the razor-edged teeth contained within to be made known.. which violently clamped themselves into the thinly clothed flesh of the target's shoulder. Cloud released out a low growl of pain, particularly of anger.. driving trivial thoughts back while he returned his sword to the sheath along his back, instead crossing his arms before his chest, muttering in a low chant. The accompaning swirl of emerald aura about his figure would likely serve as the primary source of alarm.  
An instant thereafter, a magical bolt struck down from the sky, as if summoned by its master, which served to incinerate the panther in a brief, painful instant. Cloud shook his head, forgetful of the incident, before he continued down the path. A short time later, Cloud finally came to its end, and through the attached, open doorway.  
On the other side, a long bridge became visible, as well as the AVALANCHE members that were running along it. Cloud pursued after them,only to stop at an intersection, where Biggs, Jessie, and the gun-arm man opted to head off to the right, leaving the pudgy man to move forward, using his rounded frame as an apt means of blocking a doorway just ahead.  
Cloud walked over to him, out of a light curiousity. "Too scared to come along?" The man shook his head, and angrily responded. "Of course not! I'm making sure that no one tries to seal off our escape! Just go blow up the reactor! The mighty Wedge has everything under control!"   
The self-proclaimed ex-SOLDIER had to utilize a great deal of self-control to keep from bursting out in laughter at this statement. Unknowing of this, Wedge glanced to the huge tower, which the other part of the bridge had lead into. "Geez, We're really gonna blow this huge furnace up? That'll be something to see!"   
Cloud shook his head in well-clouded annoyance, and moved back the way he came, to take the other part of the bridge, and enter the towering complex. He soon found himself appraising the sight of the two guards and the hover-bot blocking the way before him, brow arched in mock wonder.   
"How many of you are there, anyway? Never mind.. I don't have time for you." With that said, he begun to chant in a different series of phrases than what had been first utilized, though the subsequent green aura appearing about his presence was unchanged. Huge shards of ice were abruptly generated within the innards of the magic-user's victims, incited to stab outward, which swiftly rended them apart from the inside. The threat dealt with, he continued down the bridge and entered the awaiting doorway.   
  


*********   
  


As he finally found himself within the attached chamber, he glanced around at the dark mechanical surroundings, then moved up a stairway, to where the others seemed to be waiitng for Jessie to disable another sealed door. The dark-skinned man shifted to a sidelong stance in Cloud's direction, offering an uprisen wave, deep voice accompaning with an inquireful tone. "Yo! This your first time in a reactor?"   
Cloud paused, returning the stare as if insulted.. which he hardly was. "No. After all, I did work for Shinra, y'know." The other man appaered to ignore Cloud's comment, and continue talking. "The planet's full of Mako energy. People here use it every day. It's the life blood of the planet. But Shinra keeps sucking the blood out with these weird machines."   
"I'm not here for a lecture. Let's just hurry."   
"That's it! You're comin' with me from now on!" With that, the large man had moved to Cloud, keeping a noticably close presence, even though it was rather clear that the mercenary was despising of the idea. Taking the lead.. or allowed it, as Cloud would prefer it considered.. the man lead them over to Jessie, whose posture was calmly leaned against a metal drum. She turned to the duo, releasing a light giggle. "Don't worry, Biggs and I got the code for this door. It'll be open any second now." She leaned conspiritorially closer, and whispered softly to the colder of the two. "And don't mind Barret.. He's obsessed with this stuff."   
Right at that moment, the knelt Biggs had called out "Code deciphered!" excitedly, the door opened before them a moment after. They all entered as beckoned, only to be met with another sealed door, which Jessie had gotten right to work on. Biggs hesitated, casting his stare to the cold metal that served as their footing, commenting in a meloncholy tone. "Think how many of our people risked their lives.. Just for this code.."   
Careless of this, Cloud just ignored the comment, and made for the door. Eventually, Jessie had seemingly deciphered the code for the metal door, seeign as how it slid open before her. Jessie, Cloud, and Barret continued ahead, leaving Biggs behind to guard the area, while the trio entered an elevator which laid just ahead.  
Jessie soon pointed to a yellow button on a wall. "Cloud, push that button over there!" Cloud silently moved over, doing as instructed. The elevator responsively vibrated a bit, then responded with a slow descent, into the depths of the Mako Reactor.   
On the way down, Barret glanced to Cloud, withthe spoken beginning of what the latter person already saw coming.. lecture time. "Little by little, the reactor'll drain out all the life.. And that'll be that." Cloud's response was a small, uncaring shrug. "So what? It's not my problem." Barret growled to this, a powerful fisted blow collided against a wall. "The planet's DYIN', Cloud!"   
Cloud only lightly shook his head. "The only thing I care about is finishing this job before security and the RoboGuards show up." Barret, resigned, stared away.. unseen fist shaken angrily. The leader stayed silent the rest of the way down. It took the resounding 'ding' of the arrived elevator to break the silence, mechanical entryway slid open immediately thereafter  
In the wake of this, the trio swiftly exited the descended vehicle, and were plunged directly into the heart of the mechanical nightmare. 


	3. Two - First Strike

**Light from Darkness   
The Final Fantasy VII Chronicles   
  
Chapter 2- "First Strike"   
  
**

The lone female of the gathering had opted to run off ahead, while Barret and Cloud exited onto a large yellow and black striped platform, crafted of solid steel, and surrounded at the perimeter by a yellow railing. At the center of the approached platform, a small ladder was visible, ascended to another circular platform containing a computerized interface, most likely designed to access the Reactor's maintainance programs.   
Seeing it of no interest to the operation, Cloud and Barret headed to the right, to a long stairway. As they stepped onto it, they caught a quick glimpse of Jessie, found dashing down the stairway, and to yet another platform, which held up the one above it with pillars of metal.   
Jessie then proceeded to the next stairway, which ended in the middle, and went off in another direction. Cloud and Barret followed after her..until three hover-robots sealed off their intended path, lasers fired wildly from their beamed-extenditures. Barret emitted a growl as he cought a shot in the arm, the attack quickly retaliated with several shots from his Gun-Arm, the robot blown apart immediately thereafter. In the meantime Cloud, the shots deflected off his massive blade, swung at the robots, both of which were torn perfectly in half with a surgical, deadly slice.  
  
Following this, the mercenary's blade was elegantly spun around in one hand, before it was replaced down his back's restraint.. meanwhile, Barret let out a triumphant cheer, gun-arm leveled victoriously into the air. Soon after, they came to the door at the bottom of the lengthed stairway, and began heading into the connected doorway.. while two smaller, as yet unnoticed, robots descended from behind.   
One of the robots' initial action was the emittation of a wailing siren, along with the vivid blaring of a emotionless mechanical voice. "Warning! Warning! Enemy sighted!" Cloud and Barret, easily hearing this, had spun around to destroy them.. but the recognition came too late.. by this time, approximately ten of the Shinra Company's soldiers had already run out to join the attack.   
"There's too many of them! We have to keep going!"   
"Ta hell with that! I'm taking 'em out!" With that decree, Barret raised his arm, and shot off his gun quickly, with little intended accuracy. This alone was more than enough to dispatch five of the soldiers, and injuring a number of the survivors. Cloud gave a light disinterested shake his head, and sped off through the doorway, which addtionally left Barret behind.   
"Hey! You ain't leavin' without me, rookie!" Barret hesitanted, particularly to blast off a few more rounds. Upon witnessing their useless deflecting from the durable armor of the robots, he opted to quickly follow Cloud's example.   
  


*********   
  


After their eventual exit from the doorway, Cloud and Barret climbed a small stairway, and caught up to Jessie, who was found standing in front of a small gap, which contained a diagonally-descended yellow ladder.   
Jessie turned to them upon their arrival, with a grin on her face. "Just jump down, grab on, follow me, and try not to get left behind!"   
Her intent proclaimed, she swiftly leapt down, simultaneously taking hold of the ladder in an agile display. True to her word, she was off for the bottom of the descent like a rocket. Not one to be outdown, Cloud quickly jumped also, following the given lead. Barret blinked a few times, observant of the ..lengthy drop, then reluctantly went after them.   
Time passed, and Cloud and Barret eventually reached the descent's end, after which they both leapt from the ladder, a soft clang resounded as both sets of feet impacted against the cold metal below. This aforementioned metal, of course, took the form of a narrowed path which lead onward, to a doorway marked "Exit". Coincedentally enough, this was the one Jessie appeared to be blocking off.   
Cloud glanced downward, at a far-below located series of pipes, platforms, and ladders, which lead further down into the depths of the Reactor, visible blasts of steam shot out from the insides of several worn-away piping systems. The.. disturbing sight forgotten for the time being, he instead approached Jessie, though his focal point of interest was rather upon the discarded blue vial at her feet, which any chemist well knew, was quite the useful remedy for all manners of wounds and illnesses. Jessie took little note of this, and incited the two to hurry on, informing them of her intended plan to guard the path from any "unwelcome guests".   
Cloud and Barret understandingly nodded, and moved to traverse the perplexing maze of pipes, ladders, and stairs downward. Eventually, they came to a long, narrow bridge below, possessing of a railway along the top. Barret took a quick glimpse over the side, widened stare bearing witness to the bright blue-green pool of liquid, far below their location, which had multiple pipes and connections leading into it, and drawing from it. Varied green clouds of energy-smoke seeped from this, as well.  
Anyone witnessing of Barret's expression during this moment would have seen the visage of a man stilled with a mixture of startlement, and to a far greater extent, anger.  
"This's the place where they take out the Mako from the planet!," he exclaimed, though it was barely conveyed a hint of the disgust this sight instilled in the man's mind.   
Cloud, unknowing and uncaring of all this, gave a slight, uncaring shrug. "So what? The main valve of the reactor is this way. When we reach it, we should place the explosives there. That'll cause a chain reaction, and destroy this entire place."   
Barret glared, and opted for a mere silent nod, as they headed down.. he didn't have the time to waste beating down an overzealous spikey-haired merc, after all. Their path was soon blocked once again by a large tank-like robot, constructed of dark yellow and grey metal, possessing of two imposingly massive cannons for arms. The mechanical monstrosity was flanked at the sides by two beings identifiable as Shinra Robo-Guards. They could be described as resembling humans, were it not for their metal cannon-limbs, and dark glowing orbs of red light where eyes would have typically been found. The latter of this robot group wasted no time, cannon-limb raised to fire off multiple beams of light at Barret. The massively-built of the two humans took little damage from this. He may well have shrugged it off, but seeing as how he was only human.. it certainly stung.   
Cloud, meanwhile, had gotten blasted by machine-gun fire from one of the tank-robot's arms. Suffice it to say, what didn't stop the mercenary seemed to only make him that much more determined.  
Cloud's narrowed stare turned to the tank-robot, sword's handle clenched tightly. An orange aura began to swell around him, following this, clearing drawing from the anger the attack was fueling into his thoughts. In an action no less swift than a blur, the mercenary leapt upward, and from there, dove down at the robot's location, rending the startled device it in two with the full power of his blade's discontent, leaving a bright pink trail of flame flaring amongst the robot's smoldering, severed remains.  
Barret seemed amazed by this display, yet snapped out of it quickly, returned to the situation at hand upon another blast of laser's unexpected, and far less ignorable, impact. Briefly fazed by this, Barret utilized a small potion upop himself, which healed the minor injuries.. in the same instant of which he fired back at the two lesser guards, blowing them to shreds.   
The two of them moved past the wreckage of the robots, and came to the end of the bridge, where a small square device had lain, attached to a rusted brown wheel . Cloud had begun walking to it, before a strange, glowing orb caught his attention, which he picked up a moment later, commenting thoughtfully.. as if to no one but himself. "Materia.. Didn't expect to find any here."   
"Materia? What the hell's that?"   
"I'll explain later."   
"Whatever, when we blow this place, this ain't gonna be nothin'; more than a hunka junk. Cloud, you set the bomb."   
Cloud turned his head to the side, arching a brow at Barret in a quizzical display. "Shouldn't you do it?"   
"Jus' do it! I gotta watch to make sure you don't pull nothin'. I still don't trust ya."   
Cloud gave a narrow smirk to this accusation. "Fine, be my guest." Suddenly, Cloud blinked out of a less natural startlement.. a red haze began to obscure his vision, accompanied by a ..subconscious..? voice driven into his thoughts.   
_'Watch out! This isn't just a reactor!' _  
The momentarily befuddled Cloud shook his head, which gave him a respite from the thickened crimson haze, content to fade off along with the mysterious commentary that accompanied it.   
Barret blinked at this unusual course of actions, before he spoke over to Cloud, with a tone of light concern. "....What's wrong?"   
"Huh?"   
Barret raised his arm once, and sharply drew his fist back down by his side with uncontained annoyance. "What's wrong, Cloud? Hurry it up!"   
"..Yeah, sorry." Cloud silently returned to the task at hand, and moved over to the valve on the machine, attaching a batch of unusually crafted explosives onto it. He reached forward and activated the 'homemade', as certain persons would proudly refer, detonation device..and sharply leapt back, sworn drawn to a ready stance. Alarms had begun screeching and wailing from every depth and mechanical segment around them.  
Barret paused.. briefly confused by this, but only briefly. Abruptly, he shot his arm upward to a leveled stance, aiming the accompaning weapon-limb at part of the wall, which his discernful stare had witnessed the parting of. "Heads up, rookie! Here it comes!"   
As expected, the wall soon was torn apart by a gigantic mechanical robot contained within, designed in the frightful visage of a dark red scorpion, that was possessing of a giant grey tail, and multiple cannons for arms, along witha posture supported by six massive, pointed legs.   
Cloud took this sight into account, before calling over to the other man warnfully. "Watch out, Barret! It's the Guard Scorpion!"   
"Why th' HELL didn't ya tell me 'bout this thing before?"   
Before Cloud could answer, which he likely wouldn't have bothered doing, a small panel on the robot had slid to an opened position, releasing a series of two criss-crossing beams of green-yellow and blue. These discernfully swirled around Barret, seemingly scanning his presence.   
Barret quickly raised up his gun-arm, and launched a series of multiple shots into the revealed panel, doing light damage at best.  
"You can't damage it with bullets.. It's advanced Proto-Armor, and bullet proof. It's main weakness is lightning. Using anything else might damage it, but only make it really angry."   
The robot soon proved Cloud's spoken point, suddenly launching multiple bullets of its own at Barret, the pained impacts of which incited his weakened lowering upon one knee.  
Cloud spun his blade and re-sheathed it, as several bolts of lightning rained down following a hastily prepared incantation, which blasted across the surface of the mechanical creature.   
Sparks flew out from the damaged areas in immediate response, while the body's mechanical voice screeched agonizignly in addition. Barret, meanwhile, had suddenly begun to channel his own inner strength, punctuated by the light glow of faint-orange he had taken on, in the form of a surrounding aura. He next, charging his power from surpressed pain-driven anger, directed the energy to his cannon, which took the imposing form of spherical crimson flame.. that blasted outward and into the Scorpion, driving it backward by sheer force of impact alone, not to mention the charred enflamed hole the blast left in the robot's body mass.   
"Nice shot," spoke Cloud, as he quickly took advantage of the situation, with a forward-taken dash. The blade he wielded was rapidly thrust forward, unleashed into the Scorpion's recently-exposed middle.. until it was violently torn back out, along with the sprayed display of exploded parts and mechanic insides.  
The Scorpion, understandably enough, appeared as if it was on the brink of final collapse.. but this was furthest from its planned course of action. Rather, the as-yet unutilized tail was raised up, the spike of which was leveled at Cloud and Barret.   
Barret smirked, unfazed by this display, gun-arm raised responsively, in addition to his pride-driven outcry. "I'll blow the damn thing to hell!"   
Cloud turned to Barret quickly, his tone one of hastened, warnful addressing. "No! Don't! It'll-" The comment came too late, just in time for a rapid hail of bullets to spray out from Barret's gun, blasted into the creature..which, rather than falter, utilzed the attack to fuel the strength of its own channeling unleashal. The tail soon had charged a massive ball of blue lightning, which shot forth for the duo faster than the eye could perceive, exploding beneath them in a violent, energetic display.  
Cloud managed to slowly arise, utilziing another set of the potions upon himself and Barret, healing most of the brutal injuries, the latter of whom may not have been able to arise so swiftly without it.   
"I was TRYING to tell you.. It counters any attacks we throw at it with it's tail laser while it's like this!"   
The large machine lowered its tail momentairily, as it turned to Cloud, the eerie yellow-green and blue lasers from before busying themselves with a scan of him also. Following this, a mechanical voice coldly informed "Target Acquired".  
"You won't get the chance," Cloud evenly responded, a narrow smirk forming upon his face, as he raised his blade and slammed it fiercely downward, in the midst of emitting a dark blue beam of energy horizontally directed into the mechanical monster. The edged cleaving beam simply tore the Scorpion in two right upon impact, which froze for a moment in a display of seeming shock, unaware that it had just been obliterated, before the two halves of the mecha-best fell spiralling down off the sides of the bridge, into the glowing Mako liquid with the barely overheard effect of a dissolving splashdown.   
Cloud returned the multi-talented sword to his back-sheath, after having spun it around, in a showboating manuever. "Target destroyed," he added with a light smirk.   
Barret shook his head at this, attention directed to more important matter at hand, the bomb they had only just set.. the display of which was flashing vividly, and read '10:00.'   
Cloud turned to him, also having witnessed this sight. It only took a moment's understanding, and they both nodded at each other, before they dashed off down the bridge, hurriedly climbing back up the long path. As they jumped back onto the yellow walkway, shortly after destroying two more Robo-Guards, Cloud had glanced to the left.. and the sight of an entrapped Jessie, knelt down, struggling with a pinned foot. Cloud calmly went over to her, and knelt beside her, carefully.. but swiftly.. pulling her limb free.   
"..You alright?"   
"I'm fine.. Thanks!" Jessie smiled at Cloud, before their lack of time was again made apparent.. and she knowingly dashed up the ladder. Cloud and Barret followed closely behind, hastily climbling back up through the mechanical insides of the Mako Reactor.   
Cloud and Barret stopped for a moment at the long stairway, against their will..due to the intervention of a dual set of hovering robots. Neither of the two wasted any time. Just when the pair had begun their assault, their opponents already had theirs well in effect. Cloud deflected an off-aimed laser shot in the middle of his forward dash, thereafter splitting one robot in two with a swift cleave, while Barret simply blew the other one apart with a firearmed discharge of his own.  
  


*********   
  


The alarms continued to wail undyingly, as Barret, Jessie, and Cloud finally reached their destination, the elevator of which was entered with no lack of hurry.  
Cloud reached out and shoved his fist into the ascension button, which icnited the elevator to a painfully long ascent, at the end of which the trio ran out, to the sight of a very relieved Biggs. A nod, and a warnful outcry of "Let's go!", and off the newly-formed quartet continued. The obstacle of a resealed door proved little trouble for their combined efforts, and after a moment, they continued unabated.. right into two more of the ever-numerous Robo-Guards. Biggs smirked, at this sight who nodded to Jessie. As did she in response, before giving a sidelong, knowing glance to Cloud and Barret. "Don't worry, boys.. They're ours."   
Biggs and Jessie each sprinted up to the robots, and in a poetically-timed display, each leapt into the air, and each dispatched one of the two targets with a strategically placed kick to the throat of either device, leaving both headless, and collapsed. Another smirk passed between the victorious pair.. until they kept moving, through a second of the (very briefly) sealed doors, which Cloud and Barret followed after. Somewhere in the buried, forgotten depths of the Reactor, meanwhile.. a timer ticked down to 0:09 with a light, unheard beep.  
  
The four of them dashed out of the Mako Reactor's main exit, not a moment too soon, to the awaiting Wedge. He nodded, and ran through the exit ahead, followed by the others.. all but Jessie, who tripped in the middle of her frantic sprint, bolts of lightning spiralling upward through the detonating reactor. Cloud glanced back just in time to witness this, and sped back to her, pulling her to her feet with a sharp grasp of a gloved hand. In but a second's time following, they ran through the exit and dove from it, just out of the path of a outward-driven explosion of flame that obliterated the very floor they had been standing upon.  
  


*********   
  


The calm, consistent darkness of the city of Midgar was abruptly pierced by a red explosion of flame, in a lone violent momentous display. In immediate response, a green-tinted shockwave of unleashed energy flew outward across the spherical city's tallest points, before dissipating in an opposingly silent display.  
In the middle of all this, the crumbled ruins of a Mako Reactor smoldered among the multitude of bright lights, trailing pillars of smoke remained as the lone trace of the sabotuers who had pulled off the construct's obliteration.  
Eventually this too, much like their presence, faded off into the still night.   
  
  
  



	4. Three - Dark City

**Light from Darkness   
The Final Fantasy VII Chronicles   
  
Chapter 3- "Dark City"   
  
**

__The members of AVALANCHE were soon to be found at the dead end of a small, cramped tunnel, hidden in the depths of the Midgar Sector 1 Underground. Algea, mildew, and other slimy substances were strewn upon the dark green walls, which were additionally connected to a number tunnels and pipes running along them.   
Wedge couldn't help but to glance around nervously, as if to constantly ensure sure no one would find them.   
Biggs cast his own stare upward from where he had lain down, as he spoke in a quiet tone. "That should keep the planet going.. at least a little while longer.." Wedge glanced to the side, and nodded in agreement. "Yeah.."   
Cloud and Barret had remained silent, while the only occupied member of the small resistance busied herself typing upon a small computer, the soft sound of electronic beeping the only thing heard in the midst of the silence, as Jessie finalized the preparations of what appeared to be an explosive device. A device fastened upon the tunnel's aforementioned dead end, no less.   
Suddenly, after a hastened deactivation of the computer, she excitedly leapt to her feet. "Ok! Now everyone get back," she had yelled to then warnfully. They all did as asked with little argument.  
  


*********   
  


Meanwhile, a pair of newly trained Shinra soldiers were to be found with their rifles closely held, guarding thesealed entrance behind for any sight of the terrorists that destroyed the Mako Reactor number 1. One of them paused in the midst of their conversation and spun around, startled, glancing cautiously from left to right "Yo, Robert.. Ya hear that?," the taller inquired of his friend.  
"Hear what?," who responded in a mellow tone, absolutely oblivious of what the other could possibly refer to.  
"I don't know.. Some kind of rumb-"   
Their speech was soon suddenly cut off, as the 'sealed' entrance had exploded into pieces behind them, the resulting flames engulfing any remains of what was once there.   
  
Unaware of all this, a certain mercenary had leapt out from the burning wreckage, and took a quick look around, visually scanning the enflamed area. "It's all clear. C'mon."   
Jessie, Biggs, and Barret soon followed at the signal, followed by a.. far-more panic-driven Wedge, who had doven out from the flames, running about in a circular pattern at an eventually successful attempt to extinguish a painfully lingered fire from his backside.  
Fortunately, the wind of this hastened running eventually did just that. Wedge finally fell to a stop, taking a in deep breath. "Whew.."   
Jessie quietly shook her head at display, smiling a bit. "Wedge, Wedge, Wedge.. What're we gonna do with you?"   
Barret waved everyone over to a stairway, away from the flaming wreckage of the wall.   
"All right, now let's get out of here. Rendevous at Sector 8 Station! Split up and get on the train!"   
Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge all nodded, as the latter two ran off, and leapt over a railed fence, into the darkness below. Jessie had opted for the less dramatic path of the nearby stairway, as Barret had begun to follow her.. at least until Cloud's gloved hand had tightly gripped upon the dark man's muscled shoulder, holding him in place. "H, hey!," came the startled response.   
Barret cast a threatening, annoyed stare to Cloud, from his easily taller, imposing posture. "If it's about your money, save it til' we're back at the hideout." With that, Barret shrugged off the grip as if it were nothing, leaving Cloud to hesitant alone.. and reluctantly up after him.   
  


*********   
  


In the center of a nearby Midgar street, citizens had been scurrying about in a panic. Upon learning the news of the AVALANCHE attack, this likely was of little surprise to note. So absorbed in the startling events this news carried with it, a certain swift individual hadn't even noticed, or cared, that his shoulder had painfully struck into a young woman wearing a pink dress with a red, open vest over it.   
She winced at the impact and fell to her knees briefly, before she got up a moment later, while brushing off her dusted attire, and refixating her small brown basket, filled with flowers, over her right arm. It was a great relief to this woman that none of them had been lost. They did take ever so long to prepare, after all.   
Cloud walked out into the street at sometime during this incident, and over to the woman with a touch of concern crossing his thoughts. It wasn't often one saw a person like that in the degraded slums, after all. Often an ill wind that boded little good.  
The flower girl had reponsively glanced to him with a set of pale green eyes, in the midst of a formally-curtsied greeting, just before she curiously began to inquire of him.   
"Excuse me..What happened? Why's everyone so.. excited?"   
"Nothing," Cloud says, having decided it in the young woman's best interest to not know that he had just aided in blowing up a giant piece of Shinra property. "Hey.. Listen.. I don't see many flowers around here.."   
The smiling face of the woman tilted a bit, looking at Cloud with a bit of surprise. "Oh, these? Do you like them that much? They're only a gil.."   
Cloud's acceptance put the conversation to a simple close, as he simply handed her a coin, and took a small blue-petaled flower from the selection, pocketing it in his uniform soon thereafter.   
The young girl smiled brightly at Cloud, thanking him several times before she hurried off into the dark streets.   
Cloud had intended to continue for the train station afterwards, though he felt a peculiar tug of subconscious incline him to follow the girl's departure.. and so, with a rare decision to go along with his inclinations, he deviated from the path to the train station, as he followed her through the crowded streets. This path eventually took him under a brown archway, that was possessing of a large clock mounted in the center.   
The mercenary began to look around for the unmistakable fashion sense of bright pink, and it soon became apparent that there was no sight of any such person. By scope of the crowd's size and width alone, he was lucky to have come across such a person in the first place, no doubt.  
Resigned to the task at hand, he took in a light sigh to himself as he walked past a nearby polluted fountain of water.. just before a red-uniformed citizen stopped Cloud in the midst of his venture, voice arisen in a sharp inquiring tone.  
"Hey, you.. Yeah, the spikey-haired guy! Just what the hell's going on?!" Cloud merely shrugged, and went right past him, soon coming to a man at the counter just ahead. The person's attention had been thoughtfully drawn to a wire along the ceiling, which was eminating with multiple bolts of cerulean electricity.   
"Wonder what that is on the wall over there.. Let's see.." He blinked and looked to Cloud, realizing he had been under observation, and just as soon, he ceased talking to himself. "Sorry about that.. Just thinking."   
"It's alright. Are you involved with the Shinra Company?"   
The man, raggedly attired in blue shirt and pants seemed almost insulted at this insinuation, and shook his head wildly, glaring at Cloud. "Don't be fooled by Shinra!," he exclaimed.  
"Mako Energy doesn't last forever! Mako is the planet's lifeforce! The end is in sight! AVALANCHE aren't terrorists.. They're protectors of the planet!"   
Cloud gaves a slight, passive nod, then began to head on, leaving the man to his distracted machinations.. which made it all the more easier to grab an unattended potion off the counter along the way.   
He next stopped in the middle of a deserted street corner, which had been dimly lit by a few flickering street lights. Small homes were scattered around the area, all darkened except for a faint candle litt in a lone window upon the top floor.   
Cloud had begun to walk around, the neighborhood, though was stopped within less than a minute's passing, upon the overhearing of a loud "Halt!" outcry. Clearly addressed at his direction.   
He spun around in a quick response, wasting no time in the drawing of his sword, just in time to witness the sight of a pair of Shinra Soldiers charging for his location, each of whom was equipped with a fully prepared and well-aimed machine gun rifle. Cloud, wisely opting to not waste his time, turned and ran the other way, and down one of the many local side roads, only to blocked by three more of the grunts.  
"I don't have time for you!" Of course, this outcry was yelled rather hastily, for it was given while Cloud sped off for another pathway, while dodging the array of fired bullets that came screaming after him. It wasn't long before he had been stopped again by a trio of the rather numerous Shinra Soldiers, which blocked off the narrow path's only last escape.   
Cloud growled, any patience he had been possessing of clearly worn out. "This time, I'm taking you down.." The words having barely left his voice, he lowered into a sprint for the group, using an outstretched arm to cleave two of the unsuspecting guards in one horizontal slice. The third one, vividly shaken at his group's abrupt downsizing, frantically reached for his waistbelt, and detached a grenade from it, which was flung at the (hopefully) distracted warrior before him as a last-ditch effort.   
Cloud, little worried by this attempt, leveled his blade up to deflect it at the last soldier.. which exploded upon impact with the frightened person, and blew him over the side of the distanced bridge with the releasal of rapidly cut-off scream. Cloud allowed himself a narrow smirk, as he re-sheathed the multi-talented blade. "Serves you right.."   
Just as soon as Cloud managed to exit the alley, and reposition himself upon the nearby bridge, many more of the replacable soldiers ran from the nearby series of paths and alleys, leveled firearms leaving him with little option but to back against an edge of the bridge.   
"This is as far as you go," came a prideful comment from the head guard, finger easing around his weapon's trigger all too eagerly.   
"I don't have time to be dealing with you guys."   
In mid-sentence, Cloud turned to look over the bridge, at the vertigo-inspiring drop that awaited. Suffice it to say, his lone option didn't appear all that optimistic.  
However, the train whistle he overheard a moment later helped make the venture appear a great deal more so.  
Cloud hesitanted, and slowly turned back to the closing-in batch of guards that had gathered around him. No way out; the catch was theirs.  
"I'll see you in Hell!," Cloud declared with a smirk, just before he backflipped over the bridge's railing behind him, colliding lightly upon the surface of the well-timed train's arrival. Having little time to spare, he forced himself back up, and dove to the side, a railed handle of which he grabbed hold of.. just before the overhead tunnel entered by the vehicle would have painfully forced the intruder back off.   
"What was that all about?," one of the befuddled guards abandoned on the bridge above couldn't help but ask.  
"'nother one of those suicidal narcotic addicts, prob'ly."  
"..damn, what's the world coming to?"  


  
*********   


  
Inside the cargo compartment of a certain, rather popular, train, the members of AVALANCHE, minus a certain rookie former SOLDIER of Shinra, attempted to relax for once, after a long night's battle.   
Wedge, speaking with a touch of sadness, was the first to interject into the lingered silence. "..Cloud never came.."   
Biggs looked thoughtfully to the roof of the train, almost as if he could see the sky above. "Cloud.. I wonder if he was killed?"   
Barret growled under his breath, as he stood upright with a sudden angered outburst. "No way!!"   
Jessie's own stare was cast down at the floor, as she let out soft, worried sigh. "Cloud..."   
Meanwhile, the sound of a light, overlooked banging pierced their quiet discussion.   
Wedge paused, and glanced around, before he looked to Barret. "Say, do you think Cloud's.. Going to fight to the end for AVALANCHE?"   
Barret crossed his arms, and leveled a ill-tempered stare back at the chubby mercenary. "The hell would I know!? Do I look like a mind reader?" He slammed his grey-gloved left arm against a crate at his side, which hadn't even a fraction of the temper-easing effect Barret hoped for, while he muttered in a bothered tone. "Hmph!! If y'all weren't such screw-ups.."   
Wedge persisted his look to Barret, a hint of excitedness in his eyes when he next enthusedly spoke, perfectly obvious to the fire he was pouring gasoline into. "Hey, Barret! What about our money..?"   
Barret slammed his fist against the same crate once more, with twice the impact. Wedge backed down after that. "Uh, nothin'.. Sorry."   
A persistant banging was heard once more, though this time, it was not passed off. The group turned in unison, attentions inquisitively focused upon the train's metal entrance from where the pounding was coming.  
It hadn't taken long for the answer to show itself. The passageway was forced open by exterior hands, allowing Cloud an entranced flip through from the railcar's above ceiling, coming to a perfectly maintained landing upon the floor within.   
Wedge, Biggs, and Jessie all stood excitedly at this sight, their casted gazes at him all filled with relief.. save that of a certain disgruntled leader, of course. Barret's stare was just fine with being directed at the crate. It made good company, too.  
"Cloud!!", the three had all spoken at once.. although Jessie's tone had appeared most relieved of all.  
Cloud scratched the back of his head, chuckling a bit, as if he were unused to being the source of all the simultaneous attentions. "Looks like I"m a little late, eh?"   
Barret frowned, and abruptly glared over at Cloud, aiming his gun-arm at him, though not purposely.. as if it was an accusing finger. "You damn right, you're late!! Come waltzin' in here, makin' a big scene!"   
Cloud responded with a slight shrug. "It's not big deal. Just what I always do."   
Barret uttered a light 'hmph', and glanced away, muttering a curse. "Havin' everyone worried about that.. You don't give a damn 'bout no one but yourself!"   
Cloud smirked at this display, arms pridefully folded over his chest. "Hmm.. You were worried about me!"   
Barret became rather excited at that insinuation, arms waved up and down in a denying display. "Wha!? I'm takin' it outta your money, hot stuff!" He then again turned away from the crates, and stormed to the front of the car, with a sidelong glance cast at the group. "Wake up! We're movin' out! Follow me!"   
With that proclaimed, Barret spun in the opposite direction, and leapt down a passage into the attached railcar. A moment later Wedge looked to Cloud, the former of him found it a great deal easier to speak in the wake of their leader's absence.   
"Hey, Cloud! You were great back there!" The words off his mind, Wedge was soon also away, following Barret down the path. Biggs similarly walked away from his crate, to Cloud, scratching the back of his head with a grin casted at the spikey-haired latecomer. "Heh heh... Cloud! We'll do even better next time!" Biggs rans off, following Wedge and Barret's lead.  
Jessie's silent approach was to the still-opened metal door of the compartment. "Be careful, I'll shut this," she commented, as she did just that.   
Her attentions soon went back to Cloud, a discernful motherly stare cast up and down, hoping not to find the sight of any wounds.. upon the sight of his face, she emitted a light gasp.. hardly a wound, but the next worst thing. "Oh, Cloud! Your face is pitch-black.." She moved closer, touching her soft hand to Cloud's face, which delicately brushed away at the blackened dirt that was smeared along Cloud's visage. Notably, the mercenary repeatedly flinched in a hesitant fashion during this period of time.  
"There you go!," Jessie said with a smile, contently obvious of this as she turned and began to head off after the rest.. though not without a pause, a glance cast back to Cloud over her left shoulder, the smile having not wavered in the slightest.  
"Say, thanks for helping me back there at the reactor!" The thought was finally off her mind, that was reason for relief.. though the lingered silence between them left Jessie wondering if there had been something else on her mind. If there was, she could not find a voice for it.. so without another word, she turned, and exited as well.  
Cloud paused in his absence, before he eventually went after them, with a wondering look in his blinked gaze. Of course, it was the exact nature of this person's eternal obviousness that was a converse source of relief to a certain recently-departed mercenary.  
It made certain situations so very much easier for her to contend with.  



	5. Four - The Night Train

**Light from Darkness   
The Final Fantasy VII Chronicles   
  
Chapter 4- "The Night Train"   
  
**

In the Third Class passenger compartment of a certain high-speed rail vehicle, the yellow-toned lights of the passing tunnel and red neon lights in the ceiling faintly illuminating the darkness, a mechanical voice was heard booming emotionlessly over the interior loudspeaker.   
"Last train out of Sector 8 Station. Last stop is Sector 7, Train Graveyard. Expected time of arrival is 12:13 AM, Midgar Standard Time."   
Suddenly, the members of AVALANCHE had burst open the back door, one by one entering into the (beforehand) scarcely occupied compartment.   
A nearby teenage couple, having been busied in conversation, drew their attentions to the sources of the interruption.. particularly taking note of the man with a machine gun for a right hand, who had just flopped down onto a seat, seemingly making himself quite at home. They cast a quick, knowing glance to each other, and without a word, they quickly ran for the exit.   
As the rest of the gathering walked through the rundown car, taking note of their surroundings, a man in a dark brown business suit had also made for the path to the next car, muttering in a low tone as he headed out. "This is why I hate the last train.. Hoo-boy.."   
Biggs went to the end of the car, content to lean against an unutilized metal pillar, while Jessie and Wedge excitedly moved over to a computer at the other side, their respective attentions examining the worn out device enthusedly.   
Cloud was the last to head down the path, while he glanced around quietly, and eventually down to a ragged-clothed man lain upon a bench to the left.   
The person's distanced appearance had stirred, albeit briefly, as he squinted his eyes open to narrowly glance up at Cloud, before he muttered in a half-asleep tone. "Huh..? This is my house, so make yourselves at home.." The visitor suitably dealt with, the man looked back down, and contently fell back to sleep.   
Cloud quirked a brow at the.. unusual proclamation, before he moved on, next glancing to a man reading a newspaper, who casually looked up at Cloud in response, addressing him in a notably similar tone. "Hey.. You see the headlines in the Shinra Times?," he commented, with a downward nod made in the direction of the bold-texted cover story in question. "The terrorists that bombed the No. 1 Reactor are based somewhere in the slums..Blowing up a Reactor.. They sure put some thought into this one. They must have a real calcuating leader.. I wonder what they'll do next?"   
Cloud shrugged in a genuinely unknowing way, before he looked to the nearby Barret, who returned the gaze angrily. "Stop actin' like a damn kid! Si' down, and shu'up!"   
Cloud took half of the advice, at least, by heading away, and over to where Biggs had opted to rest at the front of the car.   
Biggs turned in his direction, while giving a slight nod of acknowledgement. "It seems this train hasn't switched to Security Mode yet. I'm sure after what we just did, they'll change that tomorrow." His tone lowered considerably as he looked back down, eyes falling closed of their own accord.   
"Yawn.. That sure took it's toll on me.. I'm gonna sleep till we get to the station." Cloud nodded, leaving Biggs to do just that, and finally reached the last pair of persons in the vehicle, and the source of their apparent excessive interest.   
Wedge spun around nearly immediately following Cloud's approach, talking to the mercenary in his usual excited, overly-cheerful tone. "Someday AVALANCHE's gonna be famous.. and me, too! Hey, Cloud.. Don't ya think I got a bright future ahead of me?"   
Cloud looked over the excessively weighted other man, wisely opting to bite back a cruel response, and just nodded slightly. "What did you have in mind?"   
"All my life, I felt like nothin' but a sidekick. But after joinin' AVALANCHE and tryin' to save the Planet.. I feel like I can do lots of things!"   
Cloud nodded again. "Best of luck."   
Wedge smiled, his will renewed greatly, turning his attentions back to a window that gave a lengthed view over the shadowed city of Midgar.   
Meanwhile, Jessie was busying herself by typing away at a small control console attached at the front of the train, as Cloud casually walked over to stand behind her, an inquisitive glance cast over her shoulder. Jessie spun around to notice Cloud, and smiled upon this recognition.   
"Hey, Cloud! You want to look at this with me? It's a map of the Midgar Rail System.. Let's look at it together, and I'll explain it to you," she had said, smile persisted as she returned her attentions to the flickering visage of the monitor before her.  
"I like this kinda stuff.. Bombs and monitors.. You know. Flashy stuff."   
Cloud nodded, as he went next to her to get a better look at the screen.   
"Okay, keep watching... It's about to start."   
Suddenly, the featureless screen had vividly lit up, in the action of displaying a green, full-screen diagram of Midgar, which had been primarily composed of computerized lines.   
"This's a complete model of the city of Midgar. It's about a 1/10000 scale," Jessie mentioned informatively, as she gestured an uprisen gloved hand to the display before them, continuing.  
"The top plate of Midgar is about 50 meters above ground. A main support structure holds the plate up in the center, and there are other support structures built in each section." As she continued in her explanation, a pattern of flashing dots trailed throughout the diagram, seeming to convey all the facets of her lecture in visual terms.   
Jessie paused and looked to Cloud, her voice lowered to a conspiritorial whisper. "The Number 1 Reactor we blew up was in the northern section. Then there's Number 2, Number 3, all the way up to the Number 8 Reactor. The eight Reactors provide Midgar with power and electricity."   
She then returned her gaze to the screen, in the midst of releasing a light sigh.   
"Each town used to have a name, but no one in Midgar remembers them. Instead of names, we refer to them as numbered sectors.. That's the kind of place this is.."   
Jessie briefly glanced to Cloud, ensuring his attention was still focused on the screen, before she quickly spun back to the monitor's again-altered display. "Phew.. This is next. Look!"   
The computerized scale model of Midgar suddenly zoomed outward, as a yellow dot appeared at one point, small white dots lighting up soon after, which trailed a long path around the center tower of Midgar.   
"This is the route this train is on. It spirals around the main support structure, as you can see.. We should be passing around the center area, right now. At each checkpoint, an ID sensor device is set up. It can check the identities and backgrounds of each and every person on the train by linking it up to the central data bank at Shinra Headquarters."   
Jessie turned back to Cloud, her tone again lowered to a cautious whisper.   
"Anyone can tell we look suspicious, so we have fake ID's.." Jessie was soon cut off by the well-timed chiming of a siren, and a series of accompanied, flashing red lights.   
"Well speak of the Devil.. That light means we're in the ID Security Check area."   
She had soon began to whisper yet again.   
"When the lights go off, you never know what kind of creeps'll come out. Anyhow.. We're almost back now. That's a relief.." She trailed off momentarily, before her face lit up with a thoughtful expression. "Oh, and I'm working on a new explosive! Would you like to see it?"   
Cloud gave a slight nod to the affirmative, which incited Jessie to smile brightly.   
"Great! I'll put some extra work into it, and give it a real BANG! We're almost at Sector 7 now. After talking with you, I really want to make this bomb!"   
Wedge muttered under his breath, his stare still fixated through the smeared window.   
"Can't even see the sky.."   
Biggs began to chuckle in his sleep, meanwhile, as he dreamily spoke in between light fits of snoring. "Zzz...hee hee.. don't be so damn cocky, Barret.. zzz.."   
Barret ignoreed the comment, looking over his own shoulder, and out a window behind his seated posture. "Look.. You can see the surface of the Upper Plate now.. This city don't have no night or day. If that thing weren't there.. We could see the sky."   
Cloud walked over to the gathering's leader, as he soon leaned forward for a glimpse of his own. "A floating city.. Pretty unsettling scenery."   
Barret stood a moment following the comment's releasal, and walked around to stand behind Cloud, holding his hand to his chin, as he rubbed at it thoughtfully.   
"Huh? Never expect to hear that outta someone like you.. You jes' full of surprises."   
The tallest of the group walked to the end of the car, to where Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge were gathered, and he raised a sole unaltered arm to point upward, as if the ceiling of the train wasn't there. "The upper world.. a city on a plate.. It's cuz of that fu-.. " Barret had cursed in this instant, though the uprisen roar of a nearby train's well-timed passing cut this off.  
".. pizza that people underneath it are sufferin'! And the city below is full of polluted air.. On top'a that, the reactor keeps drainin' up all the energy.. "   
Cloud coughed purposefully with an *ahem*, which interrupted Barret familiar rant.. familiar to the seasoned members of AVALANCHE, especially.  
"Then why doesn't everyone move onto the plate?," he wonderingly inquired.   
Barret walked around, pausing in brief thought before he responded.   
"Dunno. Probably 'cuz they ain't got no money. Or maybe.."   
He slammed his fists together to accentuate the point that followed.   
"Cuz they love their land, no matter how polluted it gets."   
Cloud gave a soft sigh, looking back to the window, as he relcutantly nodded in agreement.   
"I know.. no one lives in the slums because they want to.   
"It's like this train.. It can't run anywhere except where it's rails take it."   
  


*********   
  


From a dimly lit home somewhere in the slums of Midgar, a young child had looked out from her gloomy window, at the loud roar of the passing mechanical train, which had noisily zoomed around the outside Midgar Central Support Structure. The nameless girl sighed to herself, holding a small cloth doll, that had clearly been sewn of scant ragged material, closer.. protectively, and fearfully.   
  



	6. Five - Beneath the Rotting Pizza

**Light from Darkness   
The Final Fantasy VII Chronicles   
  
Chapter 5- "Beneath the Rotting Pizza"   
  
**

The 12 AM Midgar Train Express released a loud whistle, as it noisily skidded to a stop at the Sector 7 Train Station, the main exit door opened with a resounding clang.   
Several groups people soon exited from the stopped vehicle, each running off to wherever their intended destination had been.  
People from all walks of life.. Couples.. Parents with their children..   
Even a few terrorists.   
One example of such an archetype, the person known as Barret Wallace was one of the last to exit. He had leapt out from the door, and onto the walkway at which the train had parked. Barret had glanced about the familiar surroundings of Sector 7 for a brief, reflective moment. Home, sweet home.  
As sweet as the slums of Midgar got, anyway.  
Soon after this taken pause, he had moved away from the train, and over to a small stairway, before he finally reached the concrete tiled street that separated the train station from the distanced neighborhood a small distance away. A few dimly-lit streetlights illuminated the otherwise unending darkness the station was surrounded by. Barret's imposingly-built arms were momentarily stretched up, before his gaze was quickly swung back to the train.   
"Yo!! Get over here, all'ya!!" Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge all ran over from their brief respite of examining their surroundings, grouping around Barret in the wake of his call. Cloud, meanwhile, stepped out in a conversingly calm manner, while slightly glancing back to the crimson-garbed guard just behind, who soon moved to block off the entrance to the train an instant following the last passenger's exit.  
The guard turned in Cloud's direction, responsively, his tone suggesting of an assumption that the person was just another tourist of some sort.   
"When you've been a train man as long as I have, you see a lot of people, and a lot of lives. People meeting, parting.. Joy, sadness..   
After a while, it doesn't even get to you anymore."   
Cloud was content to give a passive nod of acknowledgement, before he also headed over to the already-lecturing Barret.   
Barret waved his arm in a dramatic series of gestures while he spoke, as he seemed to have quite the habit of doing. It helped get the point across for most individuals.  
"This mission was a success. But don't get lazy now. The hard part's still to come. Don't ya'll be scared of that explosion!"   
The AVALANCHE leader stopped in mid-speech, an evil grin forming onto the man's bearded face, with a subsequently followed smirk of pride.  
"Cause the next one's gonna be even bigger than that!" With that, Barret abruptly sped off into a dash, stopping only momentarily at a passed streetlight, to call back out to the gathering, informatively.   
"Meet back at the hideout!! Move out!" The group all nodded in unison, and moved to dash off after the again-moving Barret.. all save a certain spikey-haired mercenary, that was.   
Cloud preferred to take his time, clearly, as he opted to wander about the trainyard a bit, in opposing directions the others didn't even seem to consider. Seeing nothing of extreme interest, except a peculiar area loaded with wreckage of railcars and tracks.. known in most common urban legends as the Train Graveyard.. Cloud eventually realized why.   
Left with little other option, Cloud turned and hesitantly went off in the direction Barret and co. had gone, pace slowed just the slightest bit by a passing streetlight, which gave him a bit more time to listen in on a nearby young couple's .. typical conversation, given the general caliber of people that resided in the slums.   
The young man of the couple was first overheard, who spoke with a soft, attemptively disarming voice. "I'll never let you go tonight."   
The far younger, and more innocent-seeming girl of the two smiled to herself, just as well blissfully unaware of the shameless efforts at coercing her mindset.. or lack there of. That probably meant it worked.  
She nodded jubilantly, before she responded in a high-pitched, cheerful tone. "Wow! Isn't there someplace we could go," she slowed her pace in mid-sentence, continuing in a voice that borderlined on seductivity.. if she weren't about five years too young to make it sound sincere. ".. to be alone?" The man blinked to this offer, grinning with a touch of faux nervousness. "Well, there's only the Train Graveyard around here.. And they say there's ghosts there!"   
The girl frowned with intent disappointment, and glared down to the road beneath them, a leg casted aside to kick into the lightpole softly. "...Damn." "What?." inquired a perplexed male associate.   
  
Cloud couldn't help but stifle a responsive chuckle to this scene, before he headed off after Barret to a four-way intersection, composed of a simple dirt path, and a considerable amount of mechanical wreckage.   
As he caught a glimpse the group head off to the south western path, the mercenary began to follow.. before he noticed the nearby sight of a casual-attired man busied in the midst of a distanced gaze, from his seated posture upon a metal pipe near a chain link fence.   
Whatever it served to seal off, it must have been something important, a conclusion Cloud reached from little needed hypothesis.. razor-sharp barbed wire ran along the gate's entire perimeter, while any remotely accessible means of entry were sealed by no less than three individualized locking mechanisms.  
Intrigued at this sight, Cloud paced over, stepping onto the pipe for an attempt at a better view.. which put him right next to the seated man, who was thrown off balance by the presence of the unexpected visotor.  
The man waved his arms in a wild gesture, barely maintaining his precarious balance, as he sharply glared up to Cloud with a mixture of surprise and annoynce.   
"Hey now!! Be careful! What on earth are you doing?" Cloud just shrugged, not finding it an inquiry worth answering.  
Unhindered by this, the man just kept on going. "Just butt out! Geez.. Oh.. You've come to see it too, eh?"  
The seated figure took on a knowing expression, as he gave a bit of an understanding nod, while he continued to speak in a lowed tone that bordered on fearful.  
"There was a bombing on top of here, once.. If this pillar were to ever come down, everything in the slums is dust.. Well, there's no point in worryin' about that. Hey, look!"   
The man nodded upward to the sight in question, the gesture of which Cloud's resonated stare trailed, eventually incited to gaze up at the vertigo-inspiring sight giant, narrow tower of metal, reaching approximately half a mile into the air.   
That wasn't half as startling as the considerably more massive steel, rectangular pillar beside it, either. Particular in that this 'tower' was connected to a gigantic plate of steel, metal, and mechanical parts. None other than the same that kept the Slums buried in eternal darkness.  
The smaller tower, which was the sole accesible of the two, seemed to possess a long stairway that cycled around its slender construct, that extended skyward to the eventual, distant sight of a circular platform of sorts.   
The man smirked upon realization of Cloud's stunned look, which had been currently fixated on the steel girders surronding the pillar, holding it in place.. though bearing witness to the sight of the rusted, ill-maintained supports wasn't the most inspiring of sights, either. ..even if the faint yellowed lights they possessed continue to flicker undyingly, that wouldn't save a soul if the Pillar ever collapsed, and Cloud well knew it.   
The man's voice finally continued persistedly enough to pierce Cloud's distanced thoughts. "It's huge, isn't it? This is a strange and wonderful place.. And it's my place, too, but you can come here when you want. Bye, bro!" The man, rather suddenly following his farewell, arose from his seat, turned, and was off for another Sector.   
Cloud, who doubtfully would have given a response even if he had been given the opportunity, just kept going back in the southwest path, trying not to keep the.. disturbing sight of the support pillar in his thoughts, which remained there even as he hurried off to catch up with Barret and the others.  
  


*********   
  


In the center of the small town which makes up the whole of the Sector 7 Slums, it was a generally peaceful evening. Families were gathering, dinner was being served, children were being put to bed, gunshots rang out in a choir-like pattern. Typical evening in a Midgar neighboorhood, really.  
Adults responsively acted as most would, scurrying about like frightened mice, the children of whom were pulled hurriedly into rundown homes for cover from the violent recoils of weapon fire.  
Somewhere at a centered locale known as the Seventh Heaven, meanwhile, the present company were steadfastedly calm in the midst of the continued gunfire that was being released from a source that resided only footsteps away.  
Barret just liked to let off steam sometimes, after all.  
  
It wasn't any surprise, moments later, for the occasional passerby to bear witness to the frantic sight of drunken, despondant individuals fleeing the brightly lit establishment for their very lives. Shinra didn't have the breath of a fury a ticked off man with a gun for an arm tended to possess, and even the drunk well knew it.   
Barret glared to the fleeing cowards, gatling-fist warningly shaken at the passerbys that lingered too long, who understandingly ran for the hills.  
  
At sometime during these scene, Cloud was strikingly calm as he paced into the open neighboorhood, mostly ignoring the passing exclaimations of a group of enthused children. "Explosions, explosions! Oh man! AVALANCHE is so cool!"   
Clearly hearing more than he had wanted, the mercenary went right by without a word.. at least until another individual sped right up to him, an elderly woman who was rather panicked, and not as willing to have the feelings on her chest shoved aside for ramblings.  
"Did you hear the news?"  
Cloud shook his head.. the unspoken message of a man who didn't want to be bothered.  
The woman wasn't well recipient of the obvious.   
"There's a news update.. They say that there was a terrorist explosion up above, and this time, it was a Mako Reactor!! You know what this means?"   
Not a word. Maybe she'd take the hint.  
"Ya see, I keep on top of these things, an' if ya ask me.. If you knock out Midgar's power, then all of it's computers and signals are going to be knocked out too."  
Maybe not.  
"Financially there must've been about a billion gil worth of damage. An' that ain't all! A lotta innocent people got killed too! If the explosion had been in the middle of the night, that woulda been one thing. At least the people coulda gone in their sleep.."   
Cloud didn't even bother a nod to acknowledge the frantic person, who continued on down the street to gossip with the next passerby whom she could force to listen.  
  
Finally, he had managed to make his way over to the infamous Seventh Heaven Bar, which struck him as the rather apparent destination, what when one noted that the neon-sign that proclaimed the bar's namesake was riddled with bullet holes, and with the man who probably created a vast number of them standing right beneath it.   
Barret looked to the arriving Cloud with a swift, deviated stare.. almost too eager for someone wanting to pick a fight. He seemed disappointed that it was someone he knew, since his readied gun-arm was slowly lowered following Barret's achived recognition of the oddly-banged mercenary.   
"..Oh, it's you. Ah well.. Go ahead, get in 'ere.. and be quick about it, time's a wastin'." Barret hurriedly waved to the partly opened doorway behind him, at least before a distraction incited his turning of attentions, particularly to glare over at a staggering, lunatic individual who had just flung a shattered glass bottle into the solid wall behind his upright, massive presence.  
"..You want some too, eh..?" All too eager to please, the hail of bullets that came back at the man from Barret's fire'arm' sent the drunk diving for cover beneath the raftered floor of the supported tavern's exterior.  
"Didn't think so."  
Cloud had long since gone into the beckoning doorway, and hadn't even bothered to look back.  
  



	7. Six - Memories

**Light from Darkness   
The Final Fantasy VII Chronicles   
  
Chapter 6- "Memories"   
**

  
As the mercenary known as Cloud Strife initially set foot in the Seventh Heaven Bar, he soon made his way to a table where Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge seemed to be celebrating the recently attained 'victory'. Abruptly, in the midst of all this, a little girl, possessing of long brown hair and a pink-dress attire, leapt down from her previously seated posture upon the counter, momentarily thereafter approaching Cloud with a hastened, jubilant outcry of "Papa!".  
Just as abruptly, her cheerfullness fell away upon recognition of the figure who was clearly not the 'papa' she so excitedly awaited the arrival of, before she ran back to the counter, tears soon released in the form of a silently released disappointment.   
In response to the girl's noted sudden depression, another young woman followed suit, pacing out from behind the bar as well, making her way over to the crying girl in swift response. The seeming 'tender' was also possessing of long, waist-length brown hair, tied with a red ribbon at the end. She was additionally attired in the form of a white bare-midriff shirt, accompanied with a suspender- supported black-leather skirt.. rather atypical attire for a female resident of run-down districts like the slums.   
The woman was notably attractive, especially in comparision to the more simplistic appearances that women of the slums opted for.. but with one look into the tender's determined brown gaze, and it was clear to tell that there was more to this woman than appearance  
Her initial attempt, seemingly, was to try and ease the child's depressed state, one that, rather expectantly, failed.  
"Marlene! Aren't you going to say anything to Cloud?," the tendress asked in a light-hearted tone, which was met with only stifled sniffling from the child beside her.   
Acceptant of this, she merely gave a light sigh, instead opting to make her way to the recently arrived mercenary.  
"Welcome home.. Looks like everything went well. Did you fight with Barret this time?"   
Cloud gave small nod to the affirmative, to which his childhood friend responded with a slight tone of worry in her voice.   
"I should have known. He's always pushing people around, and you've been in fights ever since you were little.. I was worried."   
"You worry too much, Tifa. Here.. I got this for you.. I thought you might like it."   
The woman, Tifa, blinked in unexpected surprise, as Cloud offered her the small blue petaled flower he'd acquisitioned from the passing girl in the downtown district. "Flowers..? How nice..You almost never see them here in the slums.. For me?" A wondering pause, which was responded with another small nod from the man across from her, that incited a considerably warmed smile from the tendress.  
"Oh Cloud, you shouldn't have.."   
Cloud responded with a slight shrug, thinking rather little of the trivial gesture. "No big."   
Tifa smiled again, for she clearly valued it a great deal more.   
"Thank you, Cloud. It smells wonderful. Maybe I should fill the store with flowers..Oh, and I'm sorry about Marlene.. She's a little shy."   
Leaving her go to put the flower at the counter, Cloud turned to Biggs, who was busied with the devout task of downing all the liquor he could get his hands on. A brow briefly quirked in tune to this .. curious display, he eventually took a seat of his own down at the table, placing himself between Biggs and Wedge, the latter of whom was devouring a dinner of the more solid variety.  
Biggs let out a content sigh, as an empty bottle was set down with a resounding *clank* of glass against wood, stretching out as he tried to give the alcohol time to settle in his stomach.   
"Aaah! Nothin' like that first drink after a job. Hic!! Why don't you have one too, Cloud?," offered Biggs with a tipsy smirk, as he took hold of the emptied container, tilting it in the mercenary's direction.  
Even if the bottle had actually had contents within it, it doubtfully would have affected Cloud's eventual, cold response of a simple, flat "No".  
"What!? You tellin' me you're too good to drink with me? Don't act big-headed jus' because you were in SOLDIER! Hic! Oh.. and don't tell Barret what I just said... Eh-heh.." Biggs' comment trailed off into another bit of coughing, before his head fell against the counter, collapsed in the way an average drunk would.  
Some people just couldn't hold their liquor.   
Cloud, rather used to this sort of occurence, glanced over to Wedge, who currently appeared to be the saner of the two.. but no less occupied, for he had to pause in his action of eagerly munching into a freshly made chicken club sandwich, to take note of Cloud's presence. A polite gesture was made of the half-eaten food item in the 'SOLDIER's' direction, who passed with a simple wave of the hand.  
The chubby man nodded a bit, before finishing the sandwich with a few well-located chomps, happily wiping away at the lingered crumbs with a utilized napkin, before attention was given back to his acquaintance, accompanied with an ever-upbeat tone of addressal.  
"Man, Cloud! Tifa really knows how to cook. Mmm, mmm.. Anyway, let me tell you somethin'."   
Cloud quirked a brow in faux-attemted wonder. "About what?"   
"Tifa always lets me taste her cooking," Wedge noted, gesturing to the array of emptied plates before him. "..and look at me now, I'm rolly-polly!" The man gave a hearty laugh, smirking with a gloved patting against his chubby midrift, proudly.   
"Don't know whether I should be happy or sad.. But it's the good food and drinks that make this shop famous."   
Cloud nodded in agreement, though he really didn't have half the experience through which to base said agreement. He eventually looked over to the third member of the tabled group, the sole female of whom was fast asleep, and seemingly lost in a dream-like state, through which she muttered lightly, the comments of which were somewhat muffled by her head's rested posture upon folded table-placed arms .   
"Careless.. -'re getting all exc-..d.. Wonder what for...?"   
Cloud obseved this.. curious display for a moment, before he arose from his seat, about to make for the exit. He didn't have time to waste reminiscing in taverns; there was pay to be made.  
Perfectly timed with this attempted departure, the massive appearance of Barret Wallace charged through the formerly closed doorway, which had been knocked aside and opened as most persons would slide a flimsy curtain.   
Cloud's swiftened reflexes incited him to jump to the side just in time, while the previously distanced, other AVALANCHE members leapt to standing positions, in a semblance of maintained order.. unless you counted a certain bandana'd liquor-filled male, who had to be shaken repeatedly, and supported by another bandana'd woman's gloved grasp to be prevented from an exceptionally unprofessional collapse.  
The little girl, Marlene, who had been crying until this moment, had an abrupt 180-degree personality shift, as little feet carried the again-jubilant child into a run for the imposing gun-armed figure at the doorway.  
A happy giggle was released, as both of the man's limbs swiftly took the child into a (thankfully) restrained embrace, and subsequently placed her onto a shoulder that easily could have supported a girl twice her size.  
"Papa, welcome home!"   
Tifa looked him over with a bit of concern, though she nodded a greeting, all the same. "You all right, Barret?"   
"Great!," he exclaimed in the affirmative, before Barret glanced to the rest of the people in the bar with a restrained disdain for their haphazard appearances, before, with a mere shake of his head, he made for a distanced pinball machine near the back, which seemed to have been inoperable for decades, judging by the amount of dust and cobwebs heaped upon it.   
Unacknowleding of this, Barret waved his non-prosthetic limb back at the group, gesturing for them to follow. "Get in here, fools! We're startin' the meetin'!!"   
In tune with this, the other weapon-hand was utilized to slam down upon the rusted surface of the gaming device, which incited it to come to life with a bright glow of multi-lit neon, and reveal its true nature.   
With a motorized whirring, the hidden elevator clicked out of its locked position, and began to lower into the wooden floor, leaving a vacated path in its wake, carrying Barret and his youthful acquaintance along with it.  
Biggs' composure snapped back to life as he enthusedly sped over, leaping into the revealed passage, eventually followed by Wedge and Jessie, just before the pinball machine arose to where it had previously been, retaining its ancient, deactivated appearance an instant later.  
Cloud, insteated of the others, opted to bide his time, returning to the counter as Tifa observed his approach, gesturing to the array of vacated rounded seats that lined the counter's opposing end.  
"Sit down. How about.. something to drink?"   
"Give me something hard," Cloud responded, without skipping a beat.   
Tifa responded with a simple nod. "Just a minute. I'll make one for you."   
She turned, retrieving a brown-tinted bottle from the shelved arrangements located along the back wall. The contents were shaken a numbering of times, poured into a recently cleaned glass, and subsequently placed before Cloud's presence, which had been standing until that moment, at which he finally took a seated position.   
Cloud drank the burning substance, a great deal faster than he, upon later reflection, should have. The again emptied container was taken by Tifa soon thereafter, who busied herself with the glass' cleaning, while she spoke with a touch of previously restrained relief.   
"You know, I'm relieved you made it back safely."   
He blinked, in apparent confusion to this statement, arms folded lightly upon the flattened surface before him.  
"What's with you all of a sudden? That wasn't even a tough job."   
Tifa sighed, and nodded, in relucant agreement. "I guess not.. You were in SOLDIER. Make sure you get your pay from Barret."   
"Don't worry. Once I get that money, I'm outta here."   
"Cloud.. Are you feeling all right?" Cloud slid off the stool in the middle of her inquiry, while casting a backlong glance over his shoulder to the tendress, curiously. "..Yeah.. Why?"   
She responded with a slight shrug. "No reason.. You just look a little tired, I guess. Anyway, you'd better get down below."   
A lingered, silent moment passed between the two.  
It was broken when Cloud turned and descended into the passageway without another word.  


*********   
  


Cloud stepped off the lowering pinball machine-elevator, glancing about at the seeming view of what was the AVALANCHE HQ.. at least, what passed for one.Dramatics in title aside, the 'headquarters' struck him as more of an overcrowded, overjunked basement.  
It had barely been wider than the average slum bedroom, and appeared considerably smaller, when one took into account the square table that took up much of the centered location, and the scatterings of other equipment crammed into the living space.  
The group's computer and television set-ups were arrayed into a multi-wired cabinet of sorts.. that seemed to be channeling enough electricity through the former to power a small city block. The last two objects of any particular note were a chalkboard filled with all manners of scribblings, that may have been identifable as plans and strategies, and a corner-dangled punching bag, which was being utilized rather noisily.   
The observing mercenary knew all too well the sight of a fury-driven Barret, whose massive fists were seen tearing into the bag at a rapid, angered pace. The training object wavered considerable under the strenuous actions; Barret didn't seem to be breaking a sweat.  
Marlene was also seen watching joyfully, clapping her little hands in an entertained fashion, while kept her seat upon one of many brown crates scattered around the basement's floor, that had to frequently be doubled as furniture, for reason of obvious space restrictions.  
  
Wedge stared up from an opposing end of the table, at which he had also been seated, to Cloud, his tone considerably lacking in his typical-possessed cheerfulness.   
"You think I'm a little too uptight, don't you?"   
"Yeah.. Just a little," Cloud noted, matter-of-factly.  
"The next mission will be to blow up the Sector 5 Reactor," Wedge noted, with a relucant shiver. "Cloud, you're great! Don't you ever get nervous? Or are you, like, impervious to feelings?"   
Wedge dwelled on that consideration, and then thought better of it, with a forgetful shake of his head. "Naw, that couldn't be it."   
Cloud opted for a lack of response to these inquiries, instead diverting his attentions to Biggs, who was leaned against a wall, sitting in a delicately balanced chair, maintaining a casual rested pose, content to observe Barret's merciless beatings of the punching bag. Until the second mission began, he didn't have anything else worth doing, really.  
Acknowledging Biggs' extensive liking to uninvolvement, Cloud decided to look over the shoulder of the sole person who appeared working on something worthwhile.  
Naturally, this venture took him over to the seated, computer-focused Jessie, whose narrowed attentions were intently peering at the explosive schematics that were rotated on the green-black illuminated monitor before her. She muttered under her breath about a noticed flaw in the design, which she tried to forget, by deterring her thoughts briefly to the sight of her unacknowledged observer.  
She could tell he liked it that way. The mercenary was funny like that.  
"Hey.. look at the news," the AVALANCHE tech commented, turning to the oversized monitor placed just to their left, the static-scattering display of which filled itself with the sight of a detonated structure, erupting into a shockwave of vivrant emerald-infused energy as it did so. "What a blast.."  
Cloud gave a sidelong glance to the televised spectacle, while he nodded in seeming agreement.  
Jessie smiled proudly, seeming to bask in the afterglow of the fiery explosion. "Think it was all 'cause of my bomb?," she had asked, yet enthusedly continued without awaiting the response, "..but all I really did was make it like the computer told me..Oh no! I made a miscalculation somewhere.."   
The tech trailed off into a serious of frantic rearrangements and altering of data numbers and constructions, again lost in her indepth task of desiging a second, hopefully far superior, secondary explosive.. one that would have the Fifth Reactor's name written all over it.  
Cloud wordlessly turned, and proceeded to their supposed leader, leaving Jessie to her understandably vital machinations.  
  
Barret ceased his rapid punching, noting of the yellow-haired mercenary coming from across the room, to whom he turned with a rare touch of curiosity forming over his naturally complexion-darkened features. "Yo, Cloud!"  
Wasting no time on trivial greetings, Barret went before Cloud could have responded to his addressal.  
It hadn't made any difference.  
"There's somethin' I wanna ask ya. Was there anyone from SOLDIER fighting us today?"   
Cloud shook his head, once, his features even with the image of a man that was absolutely certain. "None. I'm positive."   
Barret quirked a brow, as a fist was potently driven into the bag, clearly bothered by his hired acquaintance's lack of doubt. "You sound pretty sure."   
Cloud nodded, again, hands calmly raised into a folded posture over the mercenary's uniformed midrift.   
"If there was anyone from SOLDIER, you wouldn't be standing here now."   
"Don't go thinkin' you so bad jes cuz you was in SOLDIER," Barret responded with a threatening sneer. He'd be damned if some upstart ex-Shinra brat was going to make him look bad.  
Cloud turned and walked back to the television monitor, giving the easily tempered leader a moment to cool down, before something happened that one of them would most likely regret, a great deal.  
It was worth noting that Cloud regretted very little of what he did.  
Biggs took this opportunity, after pushing off from his leaned posture and rising to his feet, to go to the punching bag to do attempt some practicing of his own.. except the outswung arm of Barret halted this action, and knocked the overpowered figure aside like a rag doll, who fell to the ground rubbing at his bandana-attired head in a pained gesture, which had begun to throb painfully.  
Suffice it to say, the lesson had been well taken to heart.  
  
Content with having had an opportunity to let out his pent-up aggressions, Barret glanced back to Cloud with a more conceding disposition, as he nodded once in hesitant admission.  
"Yeah, you're strong. Probably all them guys in SOLDIER are, but," he paused, allowing Cloud his stated point in the conversation, at least until he put his proverbial fist down on the truth of the matter.   
"Don't forget that your skinny ass' workin' for AVALANCHE now!  
.. Don't get no ideas 'bout hangin' on to Shinra."   
Cloud, who had been steadfastedly calm to this point, had finally had his fuse lit by this implied statement. The mercenary's eyes narrowed, in a brief conveying of just how much a threat this 'skinny' man could become if angered to a point.. a thin line Barret was walking very delicately across.   
" 'Stayin' with Shinra'?," he repeated in a low tone, a long-sleeved limb cast to his left in a wide motioning gesture.   
"You asked me a question, and I answered it. That's all."   
Cloud took an intiative step closer to the considerably taller Barret, whose heightened posture he glared into the eyes of, unwaveringly as his own cold blue stare narrowed. "I'm going upstairs. I want to talk about my money."   
With that declaration, Cloud stormed off towards the pinball machine, as Barret muttered something along the lines of "..shucks.. Money," dismissing of the threat the merc thought he carried.   
Just as this mercenary had been about to ascend through the pathway, a feminine person had leapt down from above in his stead, palms outreached to halt Cloud's approach, browned stare full of worry at the brewing conflict she overheard from the tavern above.  
"..Wait, Cloud!," Tifa had warned, her gaze becoming a touch pleading with this outcry.   
"Tifa! Let him go," Barret said in an opposingly calm tone, turned away from the two with a slight 'hmph' as imposing-built arms were folded in a disinterested pose. "Looks like he still misses the Shinra!"   
Cloud span around with barely restrained violence, glaring at Barret's dettered position. "Shut up! I don't care about either Shinra or SOLDIER!"   
He continued to walk off, right past Tifa's attemptive halting, before he hesitated, additionally commenting to the gathering behind him. "Don't get me wrong! I don't care about AVALANCHE or the Planet for that matter!" Barret merely ignored these exclaimations, and returned to his merciless beatings of the inanimate punching bag, with considerably increased amounts of strength and anger backing his intent blows.  
Marlene, continually jubilant as ever, as if nothing had just taken place to the contrary, happily clapped and giggled at this energetic display.   
"Papa, you're so great!"  
  
Tifa sighed softly. "Straighten things out with everyone for me, Cloud," she attempted, in a hopeful tone that she prayed would calm the volatile situation. Cloud was silent for a time.. before he just gave a mere nod to Tifa, returning his attentions to the television's imagery.. which had begun taking on a strikingly different image. Good, he needed distraction, and fast.  
Intially, it had been the deep resonance of the heavy-set man's voice which had caught Cloud's notice. What he saw upon turning kept them unwaveringly fixated at the news broadcast.  
Beneath the sight of the crimson-suited man, with an intricately trimmed dome of paled blonde hair and striking, cold blue eyes, read a simple, four word caption:  
"PRESIDENT SHINRA - Live Telecast."  
  
"Today the No. 1 Reactor was bombed," the flickered President's image began, in a low, morose tone, as if of a man going through a period of intent grief and mourning. "The terrorist group AVALANCHE has claimed responsibility for the bombing. It is expected that AVALANCHE will continue it's reign of terror," the President began, before contuining in a warmer tone, intended to inspire hope in the unitiated.  
"..but citizens of Midgar, there is no need to fear. I have mobilized SOLDIER to protect our citizenry against this senseless violence. Thank you, and good nig.."   
The President was abruptly cut off in mid-finalization, as the monitor turned black in the wake of a sudden deactivation.   
Jessie drew her hand back from the television's off switch, frowning with a disgusted shake of her head.  
"What a lying jerk.. He doesn't care about the people.. Just his precious reactors."   
Cloud mostly ignored these commentaries, mostly since he already knew their truthfulness from actually being in the man's presence. He had, again, attempted to continue to the pinball machine before he paused on a whim, glancing inquisitively to the nearby Wedge.. who had thus far stayed out of the situations, which struck him as peculiar. Wedge smiled a bit, as he looked up at Cloud's approach, nodding with a bit of greeting.  
"....Cloud. You say you don't care, but you came to talk to me. Cloud.. You just want friends. Isn't that right?"   
Cloud growled under his breath, rather bothered by the chord the suggestion struck. "Blow off."   
Wedge shrugged, unaffected by the coldness of Cloud's response. "Yeah, well. You look kind of lonely to me. If you ever got anything you want to get off your chest, you can always talk to me."   
Cloud stayed silent, and began to continue his exit.. though he managed a brief, slight nod, before he finally reached the pinball machine, and ascended back to the tavern above.  
  


*********   
  


Cloud made his way for the doorway of the emptied bar, though he sighed upon the overhearing of the expected elevator's second usage in so many moments. The soft, concerned female voice that followed, calling after him, was especially what he had expected.  
"Listen, Cloud.. I'm asking you. Please join us."   
Cloud shook his head, unaffected, and paced closer to the door. "Sorry Tifa..." Even through his refusal, he couldn't manage to hide his regret at the words he spoke.  
Tifa ran to stand behind his departing presence, unhindered.   
"The Planet is dying. Slowly but surely it's dying. Someone has to do something."   
He span around at these words, and stared directly into Tifa's light brown eyes, barely managing to not falter at their sad gaze.   
"..So let Barret and his buddies do something about it. It's got nothin' to do with me."   
The mercenary, figuring that was that, turned away, and continuing to the door once more. Tifa stepped forward, yelling out in a sincerely angered tone. Politeness was clearly doing her little good, so situations called for a change in tactics.   
"So! You're really leaving!? You're just going to walk right out, ignoring your childhood friend!?" Cloud froze in the middle of turning the door's knob.. and found his hand lowered, glancing back to Tifa slowly. "What..?," and eventually, recognition dawned upon him, as well as regret for how he had been treating her. "I'm.. sorry.."   
Tifa sighed, and turned herself to the side, crossing her arms as she looked to the featureless wall across from them. "..You forgot the promise, too."   
Cloud blinked with a touch of confusion, fixating his stare at Tifa's deterred presence, inquisitively. "Promise?"   
She sighed again, redirecting her stare down to the floor. "So you DID forget." The tendress finally turned, and redirected her stare to meet with Cloud's as she paced closer, gloved palms outstretched in a pleading gesture. "Remember.. Cloud. It was seven years ago.."   
Cloud paused.. and closed his eyes, recollection slowly coming over him, as did the rememberance of events long past..  
  
  


*********   
_   
_

It was a beautiful evening in the city of Nibelheim.. All was quiet, and almost all the town's residents were peacefully slumbered in their homes.. Almost.   
_In the center of town, the Nibelheim well had stood as a constant of peacefulness and serenity in the township. The faint waters had glittered under the blue, starry night sky, along with the faint candlelight that eminated from a scant numbering of windowed residences._  
  
Cloud heard the resonance of Tifa's voice echoing through his thoughts, inciting him to better recollect the events. "Look, the well. Do you remember..?"   
Cloud glanced down through his mentally distanced state, then back up, nodding a few times. "Yeah.. back then.. thought you would never come, and I was getting a little cold."   
  
_The well came into a clearly view, revealing a young boy of about 15, with spikey yellow hair, wearing dark green pants and a black t-shirt, sitting on the edge, legs dangled over the side of the platform that surrounded the widened, circular well.  
_  
_A soft voice was heard, piercing the youth's wandering thoughts. "Sorry I'm late.." The boy smiled slightly, as he glanced to his right, as a young girl of about the same age came to join him, attired in a sky blue, elegantly fashioned dress. The female of the two youths was possessing of a childish radiance that threatened to outshine the very stars above. Lengthened, unbraided brown hair was swept aside from the girl's shoulders with a brief flourish, as she quietly lowered to a seated position besides her friend, to whom she looked at, visage tilted with fair inquiry.  
"You said you.. wanted to talk to me about something..?" _  
_"Come this spring.. I'm leaving this town for Midgar." _  
The girl sighed sadly, letting her legs dangle back and forth as her quiet stare was fixated downward. "..All boys are leaving our town."   
_"Everyone has their destiny, Tifa.. I have to go out to find mine." The boy stood up, and over to her, supported by the strength of his conviction.   
"I want to join SOLDIER."   
He just as soon turned away, blue gaze turned up to the reflective sky above, with an unending sense of hope for the future, that the teenager knew would belong to him.  
"I'm going to be the best there is.. Just like Sephiroth!" _  
_Tifa, froze at the very legend's mention, as did her dangled legs, while she quietly repeated the name in a low tone of hushed reverance. "Sephiroth.. The Great Sephiroth."   
The boy paced around the platform in the meantime, and climbed onto the top of the well's stone edge, directing his resonant stare down at the sparkling waters.   
The girl sat up a bit, pulling one knee to her chest in a concerned posture.   
"Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER, Cloud?"   
Cloud nodded slowly, with hesitant agreement. "..I probably won't be able to come back to this town for a while."   
Tifa looked back down, wiping her eyes with a light gesture.. she wouldn't let the tears flow, not on this evening.  
Cloud looked back down at her, unnoticing of these occurences, inquiring of her concernfully. "..Huh?"   
She just again shook her head, preferring to change the subject.   
"Will you be in the newspapers if you do well?" Cloud nodded slightly, to attemptively affirm her hopeful beliefs. "I'll try."   
The girl finally managed a thoughtful smile, smiling radiantly as only she could, tilting her stare back to fixate upon the above-located Cloud. "Hey, why don't we make a promise?"   
This struck the spikey-haired youth as .. peculiar, but he vocalized no objection, and so, Tifa continued. "Umm, if you get really famous, and I'm ever in a bind.. You come save me, all right?"   
Cloud blinked. Twice. "What?"   
Tifa looked back down to the town's emptied center, legs again slowly dangled over the side of the platform.   
"Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to at least experience that once."   
Cloud still looked utterly confused. "What?   
Tifa sighed, trying not to get frustrated with the boy. It was just how he was.  
She brought her leg up against her in a rested pose once more, looking up at Cloud, with sad, pleading eyes.   
"Come on--! Promise me----!" Cloud sighed, and nodded, reluctantly. "All right.. I promise."   
In the dark night sky above Nibelheim, a bright, northern fixated star twinkled above the young teenagers.  
Tifa smiled softly up at it, as if she was always aware of the guiding star's presence.  
"No matter how far we grow apart.. We'll always remember our times together..   
Our memories can never die.. Right, Cloud?"   
Cloud sighed a bit.. then reflected on the words. Then, for the first time in the evening, he felt he understood what Tifa meant.  
The boy slowly smiled down to Tifa, with a soft facial gesture, and nodded, his worries for the future becoming considerably distant.  
For now, there was only the moment.. and the two of them.  
"Yeah.. They won't."  
  
_


	8. Seven - Never Break A Promise

**Light from Darkness   
The Final Fantasy VII Chronicles   
  
Chapter 7- "Never Break a Promise"   
  
**

Tifa Lockheart unendingly continued to observe Cloud, until the moment of which he finally stirred from a long period of thought.   
"You remember now, don't you.. our promise?," she inquired during his respite, thoughtfully.   
Cloud hesitated, and gave slight nod, soon followed by a downcast, almost remorseful stare, fixated downward to nothing in particular, while he vocalized his own lowed response.  
"I'm not a hero, and I'm not famous.. I can't keep.. the promise."   
Tifa frowned, and persisted.  
"..but you got your childhood dream, didn't you? You joined SOLDIER."   
Cloud scratched at the back of his head in a silent, unresponsive gesture, which incited a faint smirk from the seemingly victorious Tifa, who continued, assumingly hopeful.  
"So come on! You've got to keep your promise.."   
She ceased in the middle of her menacingly themed comment, noting Barret's entrance via the nearby passage way, who leapt out, and hurriedly made his way to stand behind Tifa, and addtionally cast a glare to the distanced mercenary.   
"Wait a sec, big-time SOLDIER," Barret addressed in a loud exclamation, which elicited a conversely light sigh from Tifa, who moved out of the pair's way as her arms folded, feeling her place in the conversation effectively reduced to nonexistence.  
"A promise is a promise! Here!!" With a drowned out mutter, Barret's biological arm was swung out, and utilized to fling a securely tied bundle of coins in the 'SOLDIER's' direction, who wordlessly caught it with a gloved palm.  
Upon brief inspection of the contents.. which had been 1,500 Gil, as 'promised,' Cloud frowned as he directed a narrow stare at the towering leader just ahead, while he meanwhile put his earnings away into an emptied pocket.   
"This is my pay? Don't make me laugh."   
Tifa blinked at this response, which reinspired a considerable amount of faith in her mindset, as she interjected excitedly. "What..? Then you'll..!" Cloud continued unhindered, just as soon drowning out Tifa's attempted interjection.  
"You got the next mission lined up? I'll do it for 3,000."   
Barret's eyes went wide in a furious expression, as he violently swung his arms out at either side, just as soon responding Cloud's glare with one of his own. "What..?"  
Tifa had backed away momentarily in the wake of Barret's released aggression, before she returned closer, and spoke in a reassuring tone.   
"It's ok, it's ok." She leaned nearer to Barret's ear, whispering in a voice that was unknowingly not out of the spikey-haired mercenary's audible range.  
"We're really hurting for help, right?" Barret turned to her, responding in kind, though his voice seemed no less relieved by her attempted calmings.  
"..but.. That money's for Marlene's schoolin'," the leader reminded her with a mutter, before he shook his head, and redirected his again-exclaiming voice at the awaiting Cloud.   
"2,000!"   
A lingered stare was held between the two for an extensive moment, until the mercenary nodded his assent, and the moment ended, as Barret stormed back down into the basement passage, lowed grumblings clearly muttered as he did so.  
Tifa smiled, despite this display.. the conflict was ended, and the problem was solved, as far as she was concerned.  
"Thanks, Cloud," she had appreciatively commented in his direction.. to be met with only silence, as the person in question had long since retired to the far more effective recluse the basement offered, and subsequently made his way to a lain posture upon an, expectedly, unutilized steel pipe.  
He had used far worse accommodations in the past, after all.  
Tifa sighed, with a shake of her head, and turned into the tavern's back room, her own living arrangements, as the door was quietly shut behind her.  
The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.   
  


*********   
  


Cloud awoke a numbering of hours later from that same posture, standing as his long-sleeved arms were stretched upward with a faint yawn, while he glanced around at the empty AVALANCHE 'Headquarters'. Once this realization was arrived upon, the awakened mercenary headed to the cornered pinball machine, which was utilized to carry the person back up into the bar area of their supposed hideout.   
Tifa and Barret were eventually noticed by the ascending Cloud, both of whom were beside the counter.. the latter waiting impatiently.. while Marlene appeared to be preparing drinks behind the counter, peculiarly skilled at doing so for one not considered old enough to have a concept of drinking, in seeming anticipation of eventual customer arrivals.   
The less remarkable appearing of the gathered AVALANCHE were passing the time as their like were content to do, card playing at the nearest unoccupied table.   
Meanwhile, the other, unoccupied tendress, had looked to the arrived Cloud, a smile lighting Tifa's features as she did so. "Good morning, Cloud! Did you sleep well..?"   
Cloud shrugged, before he responded matter-of-factly.   
"Barret's snoring kept me up most of the night.."   
She frowned, out of more concern than disappointment, as she moved closer, whispering in a conspiratorial theme. "Keep it down.. He'll hear you.. Barret's always edgy before an operation."   
Tifa straightened just as soon thereafter, smiling happily as she continued in a normal, jubilant tone, all too eager to shift the topic in an opposing direction.  
"I'm going along this time."  
Cloud blinked.. and opted, wisely, to bite back his argumentative response, instead casting an inquisitive glance towards their preparation-involved leader, who seemed occupied with the task of reloading his machine gun-arm. "Our target's the Sector 5 Reactor," Barret began, still in mid-process.  
"Head for the Station first. I'll fill you in about the operation on the train."   
Barret looked around, frowning with a glance to the less than inspired group at the table, before with a shake of his head, he returned his attentions back to Cloud. He'd deal with those slackers later.  
"Yo, Cloud! ..Before the next mission, I got somethin' I wanna ask you! I, uh,"  
Barret paused, while he found himself uncharismatically fumbling for the proper words, "..don't really know how to use Materia.. I'll give you that Materia you found, just teach me how to use it!"   
Cloud sighed, and took a faint breath.. this would take a while. Informing the uninitiated always did.   
"Alright.. I'll explain it. Look at my weapon and my armor." These items in question were pointed out as needed, and gestured to, particularly out the orb-shaped carvings possessed within them.   
"Each weapon and armor has "Materia Slots" in it. Choose which slot you want to put your Materia in, so you can use it. Then, choose the Materia you want to use." A gloved hand held out the acquisitioned circular Materia, the faint green orb of which shimmered with a slight resonance.   
"This is curative Materia," Cloud noted, as he carefully set it into one of the Buster Sword's Materia slots.   
"To find out what the effect of the Materia is, just concentrate on your thoughts.. You'll suddenly know how to cast the magical spell of "Cure". Whenever you gain a new Materia orb, and equip it, you'll learn how to use the spell it provides. Now that I have the Restore Materia, I can use the spell of Cure.   
"And that's all there is to equipping Materia. See? It wasn't that tough, was it? And don't forget, if you want to remove the Materia, just take it out of the slot. There's just one thing you have to be careful of.   
"Whenever you equip Materia, your situation changes. Parts of you may become stronger.. While others get weaker. Normally, when you equip Magic Materia, your magic power will get stronger. But your physical strength weakens. So, Materia's kind of a double-edged sword. It's wise not to over use it, but try out various things. Ok, that's about it. I'll give you some advanced tips later."   
Barret blinked repeatedly following this.. extended monologue, his stare fixated at Cloud containing nothing short of pure confusion. "Shi-..!," he'd begun, trailing off in the midst of his curse.  
"What's this 'It's not that tough' crap! I'm clueless," Barret noted, passing off the issue with a wave of a hand.   
".. you handle the Materia then!"   
Tifa blinked, as if an important recollection struck her out of the blue, which it seemingly did, for an instant later, she had spun away from the counter to face Cloud excitedly.   
"Cloud! .. I just remembered, there'd been a message from the Weapon Shop man upstairs! He has something he wants to give you.. Don't forget!" She then deterred her attentions to the youthful tendress-in-training, who was still contenting herself with ingredient preparation behind the counter.  
"Marlene, you watch the store while we're gone!"   
The youthful child looked up, with an eager smile, as she nodded to Tifa happily. "All right!," she exclaimed, before she continued a touch more seriously."Good luck." The gathered 'resistance' nodded their assent, and exited the Seventh Heaven.. including a certain lackluster trio, who were snapped back to action with well-timed table pounding via their leader's chaingun fist.  
As the group moved out of the Seventh Heaven, the gathering headed in off in the general direction of the train station momentarily thereafter, each of whom was certain to take alternate paths than the others, of course.. with the exception of Tifa, who lingered for a moment, as she noticed Cloud heading off in the entirely opposite direction. "Cloud..?"   
"Go to the Station, I'll go get us some supplies for the trip," he responded, without looking back. "I'll meet you there."   
Tifa gave a slight nod, and hesitantly followed the others' lead, to eventually.. she hoped.. catch up with the continually moving Barret.  
  


*********   
  


Near the far southern edge of the Sector 7 Slums, Cloud had eventually stepped into a run-down item shop, the outside walls of which were constructed of aged, partly rusted steel. A foreign symbol was additionally seen over the doorway, painted in dark red on the gray metal. Upon observance, it struck Cloud as the sort of thing a Wutai architect would throw in as a signature of sorts.. this seemed especially peculiar, when one was made aware of the fact that Wutai was a country that was located at the other side of the planet.   
These observances forgotten, Cloud had lightly shut the door behind him following his entry, while he continued his examination of the interior, which looked no better for wear than the exterior. A broken-down motor had lain in a corner, the metal counter just ahead had also become heavily rusted, and behind that same counter, a bunch of taped up crates were scattered about haphazardly on empty shelvings, as if the contents mattered little.   
An old man had also been seen behind the counter, who seemed to be muttering to himself.   
Were it not for this, he may well have blended in with the surroundings, unnoticed."  
"Ahh.. Another slow day.. If this keeps up, this store's goin' under.. Can't sell any really good medicine in a slum like this," he had mumbled, until he spun upon the heard recognition of footsteps, the man's aged expression turned exceptionally hopeful.  
"Oh!! Look at this! This doesn't happen everyday," he smiled, hands clasped in restrained enthusiasm.   
"You a.. customer?," he had inquired, almost hesitatingly, to which Cloud responded with a slight nod.. that further incited the old man to excitedly run up to the counter, exclaiming vibrantly as he did so.  
"Yes!! Welcome!! We sell! We buy! We even have some Materia!"   
Cloud quirked a brow at the owner's anxiousness, yet thought little of it, as he wonderingly arrayed the item selection the man seemed possessing of, and continued momentarily thereafter. "Just give me four Healing Potions, three Phoenix Feathers, and two Materia orbs-Fire and Bolt." Cloud chuckled darkly to himself, in the midst of this arrangement, as he found himself envisioning how the Materia-friendly Barret would react to the "gift" of the two orbs.   
The owner nodded his assent.. and following a moment's retrieval, the items were delivered to his sole customer in the past two days.  
"2,000 gil, if that's all, sir," he began, hands clasped to restrain their enthusiastic rubbing. It wouldn't do to appear too eager, either.   
Cloud had reached into a leftmost pocket, retrieved the needed amount and set it before the store owner, before the items were put away in the coins' place.  
As the mercenary exited, he couldn't help but thought he heard that same overexcited old man jubilantly rambling something along the lines of finally attained affordings for a new refrigerator.  
  
As the Ex-Shinra exited from the shop, having already put away his purchases, he found his glance drawn to a curious wooden sign near the shop's entrance. Cloud took steps over to it, to allow himself a closer look, which incited a bit of disgust at the childish scribblings he saw upon it.  
"What crappy handwriting..! And look at all this graffiti!"   
Upon closer examination.. and a bit of needed deciphering at parts,  
the sign had read as follows:   
  
_DoN'T tRUSt ThE SHInRa  
MakO enErgy is noT UnlimiteD.   
Mako is the life of the Planet   
and that life is finite.   
SaViOrS of the PlAnEt- AVALANCHE.   
_  
Cloud shook his head slightly at the conveyed message, thinking little of the contents, content to instead continue in his intended direction, which eventually carried him to a towering, rusted, metal building, which had faint green lights shining out from various points, and had ascended to an approximate height of four stories. The second and third floors were clearly intended as little more than platforms that served as means to reach an open doorway on the top floor. A stairway had additionally extended from the side of the bottom floor to reach the second, which had a metal ladder that reached up to the third, which in turn had a mechanical elevator that lead up to the top floor.   
He lowered his gaze from the tall building, looking to the first of the many narrowed rooms it had been possessing of, which had lain before him on the ground level. It was partly shrouded through the use a red curtain hanging along the top of it, the flimsiness of which barely concealed the faint green light that shone out through it. This same curtain was cast aside like the little obstruction it served to Cloud's entry, while the mercenary continued on to the interior, his resonated-blue stare glancing about at the strange surroundings.. To the left had clearly been a Weapon Shop of sorts, when one took into account the multitude of weaponry.. bladed and fire-armed.. lain along a side wall, the apparent owner of whom was resided protectively behind a wide chain-link fence, which additionally contained a small gash at the lower part of the fence, through which financial transactions were likely handled.   
To the right, a narrowed wooden wall served to separate the center walkway from a target practice area, where a man with a machine gun-arm had been firing rapidly at a target on the far end of the room, with notably medium accuracy.   
Then Cloud had finally looked down the center of the walkway before him, where a young teenage boy of around twelve or thirteen had been aimlessly pacing back and forth, attired in simplistic wear of a gray shirt with a white insignia on it, black shorts, and a red cap.   
Before Cloud could head down the path, a loud yell had abruptly pierced his thoughts.   
"He, HEY! Waitaminit you!!" Cloud glanced to the left, retaining an ever-present calm mood, despite that of a clearly easily angered Weapon Shop owner. The owner, who at a glance appeared middle-aged, and attired in unkempt attire of black slacks and a green shirt with white sleeves, returned Cloud's gaze, continuing his loud-toned addressal.   
"You can't just walk outta here without buyin' somethin'," the man began, a narrow smirk forming in mid-sentence. "Might be unhealthy for ya, if you know what I mean." It was worth noting that the before hand distracted gunner to the right had his interest perked by these statements, glancing up with an eager smirk. Troublemakers were always fun to.. deal with.   
Cloud merely looked back over his shoulder, with a disconcerned stare to the wall from which the shots' firing had ceased, before he shrugged his shoulders at the owner's direction.  
"Yeah.. you're probably right," he faintly commented, declining to add the small note about he considered 'unhealthy' a reference to his having to waste the energy to dispatch a couple of over-enthusiastic brutes.   
Cloud nodded to three silver bangled bracelets, each possessing of one Materia slot, seemingly purposed for little more than the transport of such an item. "I'll take those."   
The man nodded, the continued smirk having never left his face.   
"That's 480 Gil."   
Cloud glanced down.. to his retrieved palm from his sole remaining pocket, and frowned at the contents. A quick mental calculation revealed it to be little more than 230 Gil.  
"Make that one," Cloud noted, and set the needed amount onto the counter.   
The man nodded again. "160 Gil, then," he had commented, as he took the Gil amount which had been just that. Upon reception of the sturdier-crafted iron bracelet, Cloud replaced his possessed bronze wristband with the newer one, the formal which had been slid beneath the fence before him.  
"How much'll you take for this?"   
The man scratched his haphazardly shaven chin thoughtfully, then shrugged a bit. "50 Gil".   
Cloud hesitated with a frown, but he nodded his assent and took the money for it anyway, since he had no better use for the old bracelet.   
"_Only 121 Gil left.. I guess I'll have to return later_," he had thought to himself as he briefly glanced to the other side, watching the man with the machine gun for a right arm fire at the target.   
He stopped firing suddenly, looking to his 'audience.' The man had been garbed in a green jacket over a black shirt, and orange pants. His appearance seemed similarly unkempt, hair having been clearly a mess.. black and spiky, and appeared as if it had been uncombed for days.   
"Heh heh.. He'll forget about it," he began, then blinked repeatedly as he recognized the person standing at the opposing end of the transparent doorway to the firearm chamber.   
"Oh, it's you!! You wanted to learn how to use this, didn't you?" He waved his gun-arm at the target, which was structured as a metal dome with a red cross painted onto it. "Get my friend on the second floor to teach ya," the man had begun, before he turned back to the target, firing wildly once more.   
Cloud's expression became one of a person who had just been assumed familiarity with, by a person he didn't ever recall meeting. He was content to turn and continue his previously intended path of travel.  
This venture was very soon thereafter halted by the young boy, who smirked up at the taller man, conversing in an arrogant tone.   
"You dried up old geez'... Ya tired? Why don't you rest up at the third floor of my house?," he began, before the smile widened.   
"There's just one condition. You gotta give me some cash."   
In response, Cloud tilted his narrowed stare down to the boy with a growingly cold expression. "I'm not giving you nothin'. Beat it."   
The kid shrugged and paced off, muttering what sounded like an angry series of curses with the word "cheap" worked in.   
  
The multitude of interruptions having ceased, Cloud finally made his way onto the second floor, upon which he had entered into another room, where a group of people were to be found training and conversing about their respective battling abilities. After a moment's casual eavesdropping, Cloud had heard all he needed to be certain that this group's knowledge was far below his own, considering he'd been aware of everything they seemed unknowing of, and far more. So rather than waste precious moments adding his own thoughts into the ongoing discussions, which he doubtfully would have done anyway, Cloud merely retrieved a glowing blue Materia from an unnoticed segment of floor, a magical potion of Ether from a series of aged boxes, and exited just as preferably unnoticed.   
  
After the wandering mercenary stepped out of the room, he proceded to grab the ladder to which served as an effective means of pulling himself onto the third floor, from which he continued along the accompanying metal platform to dash up a stairway.   
At the top of this stairway was soon found a small room, which had been made enterable through a light green door, that served as Cloud's means of entry. It was immediately notable as being rather messy, with the exception three well-made beds in one neat row taking up most of the space. He glanced around a few times, looking for any other items of additional note, yet having found none, he had proceeded to leave, instead finding himself looking down with a wondering stare to the child he found blocking his path.   
"Comfy, ain't they? Only 10 Gil for a snooze," the familiar boy offered, with an ever-present smirk.   
"Didn't I tell you to beat it?"   
"Well, fine then.. But you better remember to rest whenever you can. That's how ya stay alive. Don't forget that, old man." With a last derisive turn of his attention, the child was gone as soon as he had appeared, as Cloud proceeded to just as soon follow the given example soon after, leaping down onto the second platform, and leaving the building the way he came.   
  


*********   
  


Seeing nothing more of interest in the south part of town, Cloud eventually continued north past the Seventh Heaven Bar to come to a small home, which a peculiar figure had been witnessed dashing into, through the means of a sidelong offered glance. Cloud paused, curiously, then soon found himself heading in after.   
He gazed around at the crowded surroundings of the home's interior which awaited. The living room and dining room appeared to share one and the same space.. Possibly the kitchen as well. A small doorway seen at the back seemed to lead a cramped bedroom that appeared unattended to in terms of organization, while another one just to the southeast gave way to a slightly larger living chamber, although far better upkept in terms of appearance.   
At the centered table, a woman in a pink dress with a gray apron over it was seen crying to herself, while a heavyset man with graying hair, contrastingly attired in a red business suit, was to be found beside her, clearly busied in a series of attempts to comfort her about something.   
The residence's lone, petite television set had also been left activated, even though it was being rather unattended to, and with good primary reason.  
The screen contained nothing to the viewer's eye but an endless array of static.  
Having eventually taken notice of their abrupt 'visitor,' the upright-inclined of the couple glanced to Cloud, while attemptively masking their sorrowful situation with a fauxly cheerful tone. It did little good.  
"Ha! Ha! ..I wonder if my son's already left!," wondered the self-professed father aloud, to seemingly no one in particular.   
"When it's just my wife and I here, you have no idea how lonesome it gets.. You want them to be happy, and do what they want while they're young.. But being a parent, you just can't help but worry.. I guess I'm not cut out to be a parent yet."   
The mother looked up soon following her significant other's words, dabbing a tissue away at her persisted array of tears, though her tone wasn't even attemptive of shrouding her possessed despair.   
"He used to give us nothing but headaches when he was here, but now that he's gone.. I kind of miss him. Strange, isn't it?"   
Cloud could do little else but humor the stranger woman with a slight, understanding nod, which was met with an inquiring stare from her husband.  
"By the way, stranger.. Where are you from?"   
"A village called Nibelheim."   
"Hm.. you said Nibelheim? Wasn't it in the news a while back? Something to do with a Reactor accident.. That was the first major Mako accident, so I remember it being a really hot topic.."  
The reminiscent thought lingered in the air for some time, until the father clearly saw it was not going to continue elaborated upon, and so, it was left forgotten, as the man returned his attentions to his grieving companion, speaking barely audible enough for his words to be heard by their brief guest's presence.  
"..would you mind leaving the two of us alone? I want to enjoy some quiet time together with my wife."   
The visitor in question would just as soon nod his assent, and vacate the residence, forgotten by the bereaved couple within a moment's passing.  
  
Just as soon as Cloud would have been about to proceed on his way, he ceased with a series of blinks casted in the the familiar direction of the woman from the night before, who had been the first to inform him about the deaths in the Mako Reactor explosion. She had begun to dash by him, with continual excitement, before she returned Cloud's attentions, as if her sort were instantly aware the moment they had caught someone's notice.  
Cloud regretted giving this woman his the very second it was returned.  
"Listen, you!," she had begun in a continually boisterous tone, rather displeased at the man's image of annoyance she felt directed her way.   
"If there isn't anyone to listen, what's the use of getting gossip on everyone!?," she continued exclaiming breathlessly, the latter note which was elaborated upon with a faint gesture about the 'community' around them.  
"Yeah, you and Mr. I-don't-care! I'll get a little more information that would pique even your interest, You wait and see!" She flashed a quick grin, before she just as soon then ran off to convey her gossip to the slums' other regions.  
  
A young boy dressed in all orange, eventually following the previous individual's departure, had also noticed Cloud as he passed by, stopping him at the same moment he interjected the wandering SOLDIER's thoughts with an inquisitive tone of voice. "Ah.. You learned that Johnny's gone, eh? You look a little disappointed."   
Cloud turned at him, anger considerably restrained back.. the little bit his swift response conveyed was more than enough to incite a double-take from the nearby child. "Why should I care about someone I don't even know?"   
The boy gave a small shrug, upon Cloud's reacquisition of a disinterested state.. "I don't like to say it myself, but I'm just a lonely guy when I'm not drinking."   
Typically, one might wonder what such a person was doing drinking in the first place.. but this was accepted happenings in the slums of Midgar. Even if they hadn't been, Cloud had long since grown considerably tired with the numbering of distractions, and he had already opted to make haste in his vacating of the slum district, pointedly continuing his path to the Sector 7 Train Station.   
  


*********   


  
As Cloud finally reached the steps leading to the train, he had briefly seen Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge talking, each of whom nodded to Cloud as he arrived, taking his presence as their cue to get moving, all of whom did just that, conversation forgotten as the trio hurriedly entered the awaiting railcar through the still-opened doorway.  
Cloud's approach was of a more calm nature, content to assume Tifa and Barret were already aboard. He paused, with a sidelong glance to a rather patiently awaiting crimson guard, who had been talking to himself in a muttering tone.   
"Morning.. Dawn comes and things never change," he had began, before his words fell away just as suddenly, upon the upward glance's casting that allowed the person notice of the imposing mercenary just across from him.  
He had seen their kind before.. the ones that were always eager to run off and start trouble. "You be careful not to get hurt," the guard had began, warningly.   
"Come on back again, hear?"   
Cloud nodded a distant assent as he passed directly by the guard, continuing into the train unhindered. "I can handle myself." With that, Cloud was within the vehicle as well.  
The red uniformed guard had waited a few minutes longer, as procedure dictated.. before he glanced around a final series of times, ensuring that no other passengers would make a late appearance. When none were seen, the person turned, and sealed off the compartment tightly, following with a light wave of his gloved hand to the train's operator. Another trivial procedure, one became used to them after years of tedium, after all.  
The train's engine erupted with an extended whistle, and a pillowed release of steam, before it took off on its rails for its next destination like a proverbial bullet.  
Unknown to any personnel involved, the recoil of this bullet's launch would be one long remembered, for this one was transporting the gunpowder which would soon become the source of obliteration for another of the Shinra Corporation's Reactors.  
  
  
  



End file.
